Pokémon Colosseum: The Story of Wes
by Missingno. Master
Summary: In the barren Orre region, a mostly lawless land, an evil organization threatens to conquer the world with an army of Pokémon modified to be ruthless fighting machines. Together, a Pokémon Trainer with a rough past, and a mysterious woman with the unique ability to identify these Shadow Pokémon by sight, work together to bring down this evil syndicate and restore peace to Orre.
1. Chapter 1: The Eclo Point of the Day

The Orre region. A vast, desert wasteland. Beautiful in its way, for certain, but in many other ways, not so much. For one thing, wild Pokémon were virtually nonexistent within the region. Even the likes of Cacnea and Sandshrew, both of which thrived in arid desert environments, were a distinct rarity. This, of course, made things that much harder on what few wild Pokémon did call Orre home, particularly those who preyed on smaller Pokémon. And for another thing, Orre was riddled with crime. Mostly small-time thugs and muggers, but then there was an entire organization devoted to stealing Pokémon from unsuspecting Trainers. This organization, known far and wide across Orre as Team Snagem, despite being rather brazen in their criminal activities, have yet to be caught. There were several reasons for this, one being Snagem members having remarkable skill in escaping capture and arrest, and perhaps the biggest reason of all having to do with the location of their hideout.

Nestled away inconspicuously within Eclo Canyon, a modest building stood. Built on that site intentionally so as to not draw unwanted attention, it served as Team Snagem's main base of operations. It was a genius move on their boss's part, allowing the team to function within Orre with virtually no fear of being caught for many years.

That very boss sat in his office within said building, going over all sorts of reports from his grunts- names of Trainers with rare and powerful Pokémon, names of places where said Trainers were most likely to be found, and of course, details on the Pokémon themselves. This was all vital information for the man sifting through the reports. As for the man himself, he was very powerfully built. He wore the same red vest that most other members of Team Snagem were known to wear, but beyond that, there was nothing covering up his considerably muscular torso or arms. He was also bald, but his mustache and eyebrows made up for this in spades, both varieties of facial hair jutting out from his face in a very noticeable way.

"Heh, that's good," he chuckled to himself as he read over one report in particular. "I've heard of that guy- supposed to be one of the best. Maybe I'll see if Wes is available for this one... if he ain't here yet, I guess I'll ask Wakin instead…" The mustachioed man's malevolent monologue was interrupted by a knock on his office door. "Hm? Come in," he said.

The door opened up, and in walked a young man whose presence put a satisfied smirk on the man's face. He looked no older than 20, maybe 21 years old, and his overall appearance suggested he was something of a badass. Quite apart from the usual generic Team Snagem uniform, this man wore a distinctive blue trenchcoat over a black outfit, and a pair of black boots on his feet. His spiky hair was a sort of pale blond, and a pair of shiny, reflective, protective metal glasses sat just above his face, ready to be slid down over his eyes at a moment's notice. There was a pale stripe on his otherwise tan face indicating where said glasses usually sat. "Master Gonzap, can I talk to you?" he asked.

The man, whose name was indeed Gonzap, nodded and grinned. "Wes, m'boy, come in, come in," he said. "Have a seat. Of course we can talk. I was actually about to see if you came in yet, as fate would have it- got a job I think I can only entrust to the best. Take a wild guess as to who I mean by that," he added with a grin. "But first things first- you wanted to talk to me?"

Wes took a seat before Gonzap's desk and sighed. "It's just… I'm… I dunno, I just… I… Well, when I Snagged that Growlithe last week, that… I just, I can't get it out of my mind, the look on that girl's face. It's… I just, I can't help but think…"

Gonzap nodded. "Wes, lad, this is nothing I haven't seen before," he replied. "You're not the first Snagger to have these kinds of thoughts, nor will you be the last, and my advice to you is the same advice I give all the others- you can't dwell on these feelings. Guilt is the enemy."

Wes sighed. "Maybe you're right," he said, though without his heart in it. "It's pretty hard to get it out of my mind, though, it's, it's got me rethinking all sorts of things."

"You need a distraction," Gonzap replied firmly. "A little something to get your mind off of this, yeah? And I think I got just the thing," he added, handing Wes the report he'd been looking over. "This is some top-level stuff right here, something I think I can only entrust to the best Snagger in the business."

Wes stared at the report. "A Pikachu?" he murmured. "And the only location listed is Agate Village?"

Gonzap nodded. "The Trainer is an old man who was revered as a powerful Trainer in his youth. His Pikachu is supposed to be good. Like, Ash Ketchum good. So, yeah, you wanna take this one?" Wes gave a nod, not trusting himself to speak his mind at the moment.

After that meeting, Wes found himself pacing around in front of the Snagem Hideout. His motorcycle was parked not too far away- this unusual conveyance possessed only one wheel, and a massive engine which somehow didn't tip it over. Wes didn't fully understand what manner of physics or sorcery kept it upright, but he knew that it ran well, it moved fast, and it was well adapted for traversing the vast Orre region, so Wes, never one to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth, raised no questions on the matter. He'd had this machine for years, and it's served him quite well the whole time.

Wes was not alone, either. Sitting in his motorcycle's sidecar was a slim purple feline, whose tail split into two at one point. The Espeon looked curiously at his Trainer, sensing great unease from the man. And following Wes around as he paced was a similarly shaped feline, this one covered in black fur and the occasional yellow ring. The Umbreon looked quite concerned. "Breon?" he said to Wes.

"I'm fine, Umbreon," Wes replied, managing a brave smile.

"Espe," Espeon spoke up flatly, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

Wes sighed. "…No, I'm not," he conceded. "I… I can't do this anymore, guys. "I can't just steal innocent Pokémon from their Trainers anymore. And… and now Gonzap wants me to steal some old man's only Pokémon! But I can't just quit… Gonzap doesn't take kindly to deserters. I mean, he likes me, but even so, I hate to think how he'd react if I went and just gave him my resignation."

"Breon, Umbreon," Umbreon nodded with a shudder. Espeon also gave a nod- he and Umbreon had both witnessed Gonzap's reaction to various Team Snagem members who wished to quit, and who had been fool enough to voice said wishes to Gonzap. Ridiculous though his mustache and eyebrows made him appear, an angry Gonzap was not a pleasant sight to behold.

Wes sighed. "So… what do I do?" he murmured. He looked back desperately at the Snagem Hideout… just in time to see a pair of bald Snagem Grunts carrying an odd blue device. It was vaguely cone-shaped, looking though it was made to be worn on someone's arm. "That's the new Snag Machine," he murmured. "Yeah… Gonzap told me he'd ordered it after Wakin broke the old portable one… where he orders these things from is beyond me, though… heh, he even got it in blue like he said he would." Wes managed a small chuckle at this little detail- it was the same shade of blue as his trenchcoat, done specifically because Wes would be the one entrusted to use it the most. For a moment, he pictured himself wearing this nefarious device.

And then something occurred to Wes. Why shouldn't he wear it? It was, after all, ordered specifically for his use, even if Gonzap never explicitly said as much. In fact, why make his resignation all official and stuff when all it would achieve is angering Gonzap? Why not go out… with a bang?

"Come with me, Umbreon," Wes said, noticeably more confidence in his voice. "Espeon, guard the motorcycle. We won't be that long." With that said, Wes and Umbreon walked back into the hideout, the former piecing together his plan in mind. His first stop was a supply closet. Normally, it was locked tight, but Wes being one of Gonzap's most trusted underlings, naturally he had a key. Wes opened the door, grinning at all the high-tech devices within. The sign on the now-open door spelled out a warning in huge letters; "DANGER! EXPLOSIVES STORED IN THIS ROOM! AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY!" Below the sign was a crude drawing of a Voltorb, pretty much the universal sign for explosive. Wes paid the warning no heed- he _was_ authorized personnel. At least, for now, anyway.

Espeon looked on as Wes emerged from the building, glasses now slid down over his eyes. He headed towards the left side of the building and attached a strange device to the wall. Then, after pressing a button on the device, he and Umbreon ran away from the building. Espeon felt a sudden sense of foreboding, and once they were within range, he cast a Reflect over Wes and Umbreon. And not a moment too soon- almost immediately afterwards, the device exploded! Confused cries and shouts emanated from the building, and Wes knew he had only moments to act. Leaving Umbreon to stare at the explosion in awe, Wes strode back over to the building, and peered in through the huge hole he'd just made in the wall. "Perfect," Wes smirked- according to plan, he'd managed to blast a hole in the wall of the Snag Machine storage room. Stepping over the twisted, mangled remnants of the large Snag Machine, he couldn't help but grin as he reached out and grabbed the portable Snag Machine. Also according to plan, the big Snag Machine was wrecked, whereas this one was left totally unscathed. Of course, he wouldn't exactly have minded if both machines were wrecked, but his initial plan was to take this one as a memento in any case.

Wes ran back out of the building, now with the cool cone-shaped device attached to his left arm, over the sleeve of his trenchcoat. It was remarkably lightweight, and according to Gonzap, it was supposed to have all sorts of new features as well, but Wes knew this wasn't the time to act like fat guys in small towns and marvel at how amazing technology is. Umbreon started running alongside him as thunderous footsteps echoed from within the building. And then, as Wes neared his motorcycle, the hideout's doors burst open, and Gonzap raced out, with numerous eerily identical Snagem Grunts following close behind. "Wes!?" Gonzap exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this?"

By now, Wes was now seated on his motorcycle, and Umbreon was sitting next to Espeon in the sidecar. He turned to smirk at Gonzap. "In case I haven't made myself clear," he called to his former boss, "I quit!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Gonzap shouted, incensed beyond reason by this stunning turn of events as his voice was drowned out by the roar of Wes's motorcycle engine. "WES! GET BACK HERE, YOU UNGRATEFUL DESERTER!" Wes paid Gonzap no heed as his motorcycle started moving. "YOU TRAITOROUS SON OF A-"

BOOOM! Gonzap's screaming was cut off abruptly as Wes drew a small remote control out of his pocket and pressed its only button. This caused one of the larger bombs inside the hideout to blow up immediately, just as Wes had set it to do. It was one of the devices usually reserved for breaking into Pokémon Centers, which took the security of Pokémon in their care very seriously, so Wes knew the hideout didn't stand a chance. With any luck, maybe the explosion might even alert the authorities to the hideout's presence. As the motorcycle zoomed out of Eclo Canyon, Wes slid the glasses back up to his forehead, grinning happily, feeling more free than he'd felt in a long time.

Gonzap had abandoned his attempts to shout some sense into Wes, electing now to seethe in silent fury, glaring at the horizon over which Wes's motorcycle had long disappeared. The roar of the motorcycle was no more, leaving a deafening silence… which was soon broken by an almost laughter-like cawing sound. A glance at the sky above him revealed to Gonzap that a wild Skarmory was flying overhead, seemingly laughing at his predicament. Too pissed off to say anything, Gonzap heaved a Poké Ball at the Skarmory. Caught off-guard by this, Skarmory was turned into a shapeless mass of red energy and sucked into the ball. Once the ball had fallen back into Gonzap's hands, it had already stopped shaking. Grunting his satisfaction that Skarmory was no longer laughing at him, Gonzap glared off into the distance. Skarmory he'd deal with later. Right now, he had a traitor to attend to…


	2. Chapter 2: The Ins and Outskirts

Hours had passed since the explosion at Eclo Canyon. Wes had been riding for some time, his destination firmly in mind. At least, his current destination. Where he'd go after this, even he didn't know. But at least now he knew his future would be free of crime. Hell, maybe he'd even find a way to use this Snag Machine for good instead of evil. But for now, he had his destination in mind, and now, that destination was also in sight.

Wes slowed down the motorcycle as a strange orange structure came into sight- a rusted, hollowed-out locomotive, a remnant of what Wes supposed was once a railroad running through the region. This, this was the Outskirt Stand. A small-time restaurant and shop built into this very locomotive. It wasn't terribly well-known, but Wes had seen it before. He'd never gone in, but from what he heard, the food was supposed to be pretty decent.

As Wes disembarked the motorcycle, and withdrew Espeon and Umbreon to their Poké Balls, he could see two men exiting the locomotive-turned-restaurant, looking quite content and full. Wes saw them heading towards a green hovercar. He didn't get a good look at what was in the back of said car, mainly because he was pretty hungry.

"Ahhh," grinned one of the men. "We sure pigged out, huh? Man, I love chowing down after a job. I swear, it adds something to the flavor, y'know?"

"Heh, yeah," agreed the other man as they both climbed into the car. "And we bagged ourselves a big catch, too. The boss is gonna love us for this. I can only imagine what kind of rewards we're in store for. Yep, it don't get much better than this."

They drove off after that, leaving Wes to vaguely wonder what that had been all about. Ordinarily, something this shady would pique his interest, but at the moment, first and foremost on his mind was food, and so up the ramp and into the locomotive.

Inside the long, narrow building, the first thing that caught Wes's attention was a TV screen on the wall. The news was on, and behind the reporter was video footage of, to Wes's immense satisfaction, the slightly smoking remains of the Team Snagem Hideout.

"Authorities have made a stunning announcement on the mysterious building that exploded in Eclo Canyon," the reporter was saying. "It was Team Snagem's hideout!" This statement sparked a lot of murmuring among the restaurant patrons, and their murmuring sounded approving, even hopeful. "Team Snagem is a gang of Pokémon abductors who have already been marked for arrest," the reporter continued. "The hideout was discovered only as a result of the explosion. Once police had arrived, the ruined building had already been abandoned. The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation, and should become apparent eventually."

A loud cheer went up from the restaurant patrons as the news report ended. "Everything's on me tonight!" one of the patrons called out, eliciting even more cheering.

The man behind the counter noticed Wes right about then. "Oh?" he said. "Can't say as I've seen your face around these parts."

"First time here," Wes replied. "I'm… a traveling Trainer. I don't suppose I could get something to eat?"

"A traveler, huh?" the man replied. "Sure, no problem. Dunno where you might've come from, but relax, stick around a while. What'll it be, stranger?"

"Well, I've heard good things about the burgers here," Wes began.

The man nodded. "And rightly so," he agreed. "Best burgers this side of Phenac. Want my recommendation, I'd go with the bacon cheeseburger. We use Torkoal smoke to cook the bacon."

Wes's eyes lit up at this piece of information. "Well, I'm sold," he said with a small grin. "I'll take one of those, side of fries, and… basically whatever beverage you recommend."

"Fine choice," the man grinned back. "Go on, have a seat, I'll be with you once it's ready."

Wes nodded and walked down the rows of booths. The people were all talking about Team Snagem, and how happy they were about their hideout blowing up. Except one man- as Wes walked past one booth, the pink-haired man stopped him. "Hey, heard you say you're a Trainer," he said. "Did I hear right?"

"You did," Wes confirmed.

"Well, I'm Willie. Good to meet you," grinned the man, offering Wes a handshake.

"Wes," replied Wes, shaking Willie's hand.

"Yeah, you're a good Trainer- I can see it in your eyes," Willie continued. "I like that. I bet your Pokémon are impressive, too. If the opportunity ever arises, I'd like to have a battle with you."

"Sounds like a plan," Wes grinned back.

"Heh, great, then," nodded Willie. "Though if you're as good a Trainer as I think you are, I'm not sure I'd have a chance of beating you. Maybe we'll find out someday."

After that, Wes managed to locate a vacant booth. It wasn't a very long wait before the man from behind the counter brought Wes his food. The burger and fries looked and smelled delicious, and as it turned out, his beverage recommendation amounted to a bottle of Cacnea Cola. Not that Wes had any room to complain- he greatly preferred Cacnea Cola over, for instance, Pepseadra. He started in on what turned out to be a delicious meal, pausing only to chuckle, for as the man went back to the counter, Wes could hear Willie saying to him, "Holy crap, your feet are huge!"

One delicious, filling meal later, Wes had attempted to pay his bill (only to be reminded that one of the other patrons had already covered it, along with everyone else's that evening) , thanked the man for the meal and hospitality, had his leftovers boxed up for Espeon and Umbreon to eat, and stepped outside. However, he hadn't even cleared the ramp before he could hear someone calling from behind him. "Yo! Wait, wait up!" Wes stopped as Willie stepped in front of him.

"Willie, what's up?" asked Wes.

"I'll tell you what's up," replied the pink-haired man. "After I got a good look at you, I got this urge to battle you. It's like I'm compelled to. Tough-looking Trainers have that effect on me, and any way I look at it, it's obvious you're no ordinary Joe. So, what do you say? Let's you and me have a quick battle!"

Wes couldn't help but grin in response. One thing he could never resist was a challenge to battle. "You're on," he replied.

"Yeahah!" Willie cheered. "That's the spirit!"

"The usual Orre format- double battle, using however many we each have?" asked Wes.

"Is there any other way?" Willie replied. "Alright, alright, over here, this way!" he added, leading the way to a small, paved open space adjacent to the locomotive, so that the patrons could watch their battle through the window. Indeed, as Wes looked, he could see that many patrons had that very idea themselves.

Once the duo had cleared enough space between them for a battle to unfold, Willie grabbed a pair of Poké Balls off his belt. "Yeeeeeeaaaah!" he exclaimed. "I'm burning now! I'm on fire! It's full-throttle time! Vrum! Vrooom! Let's roll!" At those last two words, Willie threw the balls into the air, each one unleashing a pair of identical brown creatures, their fur in a distinctive zigzag pattern. The pair of Zigzagoon stood ready for battle, both Normal-types looking curiously at Wes.

Wes chuckled. Willie was sure eager, but that wouldn't make this battle any easier for him, not if a pair of Zigzagoon was the best he could do. Producing a pair of Poké Balls from within his trenchcoat, Wes threw them forward. "Go, Espeon! Go, Umbreon!" Wes shouted as his faithful partners appeared before him. The pair of fully evolved Pokémon caused Willie's grin to fade slightly, but not by much.

"OK, let's do this!" Willie exclaimed. "Zig! Use Tackle on Espeon! Zag! Use Headbutt on Umbreon!"

"Espeon, Helping Hand!" Wes ordered as the Zigzagoon charged forward.

"Espe!" Espeon responded, his body starting to glow with energy. And then, the glow was transferred briefly to Umbreon before vanishing completely.

"Now, Umbreon, use Bite!" Wes commanded.

As Zag drew closer, Umbreon jumped forward and bit down. The Zigzagoon managed to land its Headbutt, but this didn't deter Umbreon one bit. Once the Dark-type released its grip, Zag dashed back over to Willie's side of the battlefield. At the same time, Zig was also running back there, having delivered a Tackle attack to Espeon.

"Now, Espeon, use Confusion, and Umbreon, Secret Power!" Wes ordered.

Espeon and Umbreon cried out simultaneously, the former unleashing a wave of pale blue psychic energy from the red jewel in his forehead, and the latter generating waves of odd pink energy from his now glowing yellow rings. The energy waves collided with the pair of Zigzagoon- Zig, despite not having taken any damage previously, was knocked out in a single hit from the Confusion, and Zag, previously weakened by Umbreon's Bite, succumbed to the Secret Power and collapsed alongside his teammate.

"Tch…" Willie sighed as he withdrew his Zigzagoon. "Wiped out. I still need seasoning." He seemed to take his loss well, however, for he still had a small smile on his face as he approached Wes to pay out the prize money. "But yeah, you're tough. Real tough," he stated. "You did a real number on us."

"Thanks," Wes grinned. "Keep training those Zigzagoon, and I'd love a rematch someday."

"Will do," grinned Willie. "They're actually strong enough to evolve into Linoone right away, actually, I'm just keeping them from doing so until they learn Pin Missile, y'know? Would've been a good move to have for our battle, actually, come to think of it."

"Yeah, that'd do the trick," agreed Wes, reflecting on the one flaw he couldn't ignore about his current lineup- namely, the massive weakness to the Bug type.

"Hey, I got an idea," Willie said. "What say you go and test your skills in Phenac City? It's out west of here. You'll find you some Trainers out there, Trainers way better than me. You oughta go out there, get some battling in."

"Y'know what? That sounds like a plan," Wes nodded. "I got nothing better in mind, for sure. Thanks again, Willie."

"No problem, man," Willie nodded. "Shouldn't even be that long of a ride for you."

Wes nodded, but before he left, he fed his leftover food to Espeon and Umbreon, both of whom happily devoured the remnants of the burger and fries before hopping into the sidecar. Wes took this as his cue to jump on his motorcycle and ride off into the desert. The day was getting better by the minute- free from Team Snagem, had some delicious dinner, fought a good Pokémon battle, and was headed to a city where he'd have even more opponents to battle? He couldn't ask for much better than that.


	3. Chapter 3: Rui, Willing, and Able

Phenac City. A gorgeous jewel of a town, overflowing with water in the forbidding Orre desert. Wes had seen the town from a distance once or twice, but alas, his Team Snagem duties had never actually taken him there. From what he knew, Phenac was built around a desert oasis, and it made full use of the water. It was supposedly a very pleasant place to live, especially by Orre's standards, which was but one of the reasons Wes was looking forward to this.

And then, as the white stone walls of Phenac City came into view, Wes frowned slightly. He saw some figures moving around near the entrance to the city, and as he drew closer, he realized he recognized them as the same men from the Outskirt Stand. Moreover, as if to drive the point home, he could see their green hovercar parked nearby. The men were struggling with a large brown sack, and Wes was shocked to see that whatever was inside the bag was struggling and squirming!

"Hey, what are you doing?" one of the men demanded. "Get a grip, man!"

"Yeah, you say that," the other man retorted. "But this… it won't stop squirming. Makes it tough to hold on."

Wes parked his motorcycle a short distance away, and slowly approached the men, listening to what they were saying with a frown on his face. This was sounding more and more shady by the minute, and he didn't like it. Espeon and Umbreon were standing by his side, and from the looks on their faces, it was safe to assume they felt the same.

"OK, OK," one of the men was saying, apparently to the sack's contents. "Settle down in there. Just be quiet for a little while longer."

However, it appeared the sack's contents had no intention of listening to this man. A ripping sound came from inside the bag. "…Beh!" gasped a woman's voice from inside the bag. "Help! Someone let me out! Kidnappers!"

"Tch!" grunted the other man. "That tape didn't keep her yap shut! Hey, quit your shouting!"

"Oh, crap," the first man said suddenly, noticing Wes. "Did that punk hear all that?"

"You bet your ass I did," Wes responded as the men placed the sack on the ground and approached him. "What the hell are you doing, kidnapping someone like that?"

"Mind your business," snapped one of the men, the one whose shirt had no sleeves. "Since you overheard us, we don't have any choice now." As he spoke, he procured a pair of Poké Balls from his belt. "Blame it on your own bad luck!" he grunted, throwing both balls simultaneously.

Wes snorted- each ball had produced a Whismur, and they looked even weaker than Willie's Zigzagoon.

"Go get 'im, Folly!" the other man exclaimed.

"OK, both of you, give 'em an Uproar!" the man called Folly ordered.

"Helping Hand and Secret Power!" Wes commanded.

The Whismur started to expel an unholy racket from their mouths. Horrendous, very loud screaming. But Espeon and Umbreon were undeterred, and executed their respective moves as ordered. In no time at all, Umbreon's Secret Power, powered up by Espeon's Helping Hand, had knocked out one of the Whismur. Folly gritted his teeth, unable to do anything as his remaining Whismur continued its attack.

"Espeon! Confusion!" called Wes.

"Espe!" Espeon responded, sending a blue wave of psychic energy Whismur's way. The Psychic-type move made contact, and before Folly could react, his other Whismur had also fainted.

"Gaah!" grunted Folly as he withdrew his Whismur. "You're tougher than you look! Taking out my Whismur like that… you're no ordinary Trainer, are you?" Then, as he got a proper look at Wes, his expression turned to one of dawning comprehension. "Wait a sec… that face…" he murmured. "I seen that face… Might you be… Team Snagem's…"

To Wes's immense relief, however, the battle had attracted the attention of several of the townspeople, in no small part due to Whismur's Uproar, Wes had no doubt. Folly and his cohort turned to face the crowd as one woman noticed the squirming sack and called them robbers. "Y-You be quiet!" the other man snapped. "We're no robbers! We're kidnappers! Get it? Kid! Napp! Ers!"

"Wha- you dingbat!" exclaimed an incredulous Folly. "Don't shoot off your mouth! And you!" he added, turning on Wes. "Don't get all happy just on account of winning this once! Next time we meet, I'll trash you, your Pokémon, and all!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Wes retorted, shouting after them as they fled, abandoning their hovercar. "What are you gonna sic on me next time? A third Whismur?"

"Oh, yuck!" exclaimed a voice from behind Wes. "There's someone inside there!"

Wes wheeled around. The sack! He'd almost forgotten! "Let me at this," he offered, approaching the sack. He worked at the knot what held it shut, until finally, the rope came loose, allowing the person inside the sack to finally emerge.

If the woman was younger than Wes, it wasn't by very much. She wore a blue and pink jacket over a black top, with a light grey miniskirt, and a pair of pink boots. Her fiery orange hair was split into two ponytails. And, Wes couldn't help but note, she was quite cute. "Phew," she sighed, stretching out. "Thank goodness! I'm saved!" Then, as she looked around, her look of relief gave way to one of confusion. "…So, where is this?" she added. "Where'd those two bring me?"

"This is Phenac City, the opulent city of water," replied a nearby woman. "And that guy saved you from those thugs," she added, pointing at Wes.

"Yeah," added a young man dressed like he was ready to go running. "The way he battled those goons, that was something else. I wish you could've seen it."

"Oh! Is that so?" the recently-freed woman asked, turning to face Wes. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "And… uh… you are?" she asked.

"I- I'm Wes," Wes replied. "It was no trouble, really, just… the right thing to do, y'know? So, uh, what's your name?"

"I'm Rui," replied the woman. "I'm sure glad I met you. I was in the next town over when those goons grabbed me- Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, as though only just remembering something. "Those guys, did they use a peculiar Pokémon?"

"A… peculiar Pokémon?" repeated Wes. "No, not really. That guy, Folly, his Whismur were extremely weak, but that's about it. What do you mean by peculiar Pokémon?"

"Oh…" sighed Rui. "Never mind, it's fine…"

"Is it?" Wes asked. "Something's bothering you. Believe me, takes one to know one," he added, grimly recalling his own distress preceding his decision to quit Team Snagem, quite literally, with a bang.

"Y'know what?" asked the athlete. "You should go see our mayor for advice. Mayor Es Cade is a very kindly person. I'll bet he'll be able to help you out. His house is near the fountain square just past here," he added, pointing northwest. "See the stairs on the other side? Go up them, and his house is on the left."

"That sounds like a good idea," Rui nodded. "Yeah… maybe the mayor will know something. Then, she turned to face Wes. "Hey, uh, Wes," she added. "I… I know I'm imposing, but… well, I don't have anyone else I can turn to here… Do you think you could maybe escort me around for a while? Please?" she asked. "I mean, those men might come back, and I don't have Pokémon of my own-"

"You don't have Pokémon?" Wes repeated in mild surprise.

"Yeah, I… I've never really wanted to become a Trainer," admitted Rui. "I guess I ought to have caught one at least for protection, but… so, can I come with you? Please?" she asked.

The decision was an easy one for Wes. With no Pokémon of her own, Rui was easy pickings for basically the first crook who thought to go for her, and her getting kidnapped really drove that point home. Moreover, even if that wasn't a factor, Wes found he was inclined to agree to her request in any case. Rui seemed like a nice person, and Wes wanted to get to know her. "Sure you can," Wes agreed.

"Thank you, Wes," smiled Rui. "Eheh, I had a feeling you might say that," she added. "If you're with me, Wes, it won't matter if those guys come back again."

"Espe! Espeon!"

"Umb! Umbreon!"

"Well, you got on Espeon and Umbreon's good side with that remark," Wes grinned as he reached down to scratch the both of them behind their ears. "Yeah, they made quick work of those Whismur."

"Thanks so much," Rui replied. "So, what say we go see the mayor?"

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Wes, leading the way around the fountain, towards the stairs pointed out by the athlete.

The athlete's directions were looking very promising. Once Wes and Rui had ascended the stairs, they could see a house on the left, just near another entrance to the city. But as they approached, the door slid open, and out walked a very tall man. He had long silver hair, piercing red eyes, and was clad in skintight purple and red clothing. He stopped as he noticed Wes, and looked him over. "Hm?" the man murmured. "I'd guess you're a traveling Trainer."

"…Yeah," Wes replied warily. The man's appearance sent chills down his spine, but he kept his cool, kept his face the same as ever.

"Hm," smirked the man. "I like what I see in your expression." He gave a dark chuckle and added, "I have a feeling I may see you again somewhere." With that said, he walked away.

Rui shivered slightly as the odd man walked away. "Wow, he's creepy," she murmured.

"Yeah, he is," agreed Wes. "What's someone that creepy doing at the mayor's house, anyway?"

"Maybe he's nicer than he looks?" suggested Rui.

"Could be," shrugged Wes, before leading the way into the house, the door still open to allow them inside. "Hello?" he said, seeing only an empty room before him, sparsely decorated with basic furniture.

"Ah!" came a voice. Wes and Rui jumped simultaneously- a short, very fat man was standing up from behind a desk in a corner of the room, a desk neither of them had initially noticed. The man was bald save for two tufts of grey hair on either side of his head. "You must be travelers. Welcome, welcome to Phenac City! Allow me to introduce myself- I am Es Cade, the mayor of this fair city! Now, since you're here, I can safely assume you need my assistance with something, yes?"

Rui stepped forward uncertainly. "Um… Er…" she mumbled.

"Oh?" Es Cade replied. "What can I do for a pretty young lady like you?"

"I… I saw it!" Rui replied.

"And what did you see?" Es Cade asked kindly.

Rui closed her eyes and gulped. The memory had to be a distressing one, Wes realized, especially if this had anything to do with her being kidnapped. "Well, I… I saw a peculiar Pokémon… no, that's not quite right… What I saw was… there was this Pokémon that gave off this purplish-black aura. And it would attack people, wouldn't think twice about it. The way it battled, it was like some sort of fighting machine!"

"Goodness!" Es Cade replied. "A Pokémon like a fighting machine that attacks people? A frightening thought, for sure… but it seems a little hard to believe."

"But it's true!" protested Rui. "Because I saw that Pokémon, a pair of frightening men kidnapped me!"

"She was kidnapped," Wes added. "The men had her in this sack, I had to chase them off with my Pokémon."

Es Cade nodded. "I see. I understand. I shall order an investigation at once," he said.

Rui sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mr. Mayor," she said.

"Oh, no, no, there is no need for thanks," Es Cade replied warmly. "We mustn't allow thugs to simply do as they wish. Especially thugs that endanger a pretty young lady like you. Now, I ask only for a little time on this matter," he added. "And I promise we'll get some useful information for you."

"Sounds good," Wes nodded.

"Oh!" Es Cade added, as though recalling something. "If either of you are Pokémon Trainers, I can recommend a place for you to go here in Phenac. I urge you to visit our city's pride and joy- the Phenac Colosseum! A breathtakingly beautiful stadium befitting our oasis city! You can enter in a colosseum challenge and see how you stack up against other Trainers."

"Well, I'm no Trainer, but Wes here is," Rui said, smiling at Wes. "What do you think? I'd love to see how your Pokémon battle."

"I like that idea," nodded Wes. "Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4: I'm Wakin on Sunshine

Phenac Colosseum was, true to Es Cade's word, a breathtaking sight. There were cascading waterfalls inside the dome-shaped building made of beautiful marble. In fact, there was only one issue Wes had with the place…

"The challenge has already started?" Wes groaned.

"I'm sorry, sir," replied the receptionist. "It's just started a few minutes ago, and it can go on for a while. I invite you to participate in the next one, of course, but you'll have a considerable wait ahead of you- this is the last one for today, you'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Fine," sighed Wes. "I'll come back, then."

"Sorry you couldn't enter," sighed Rui, who followed Wes out of the building.

"Yeah, me too, it's just- oh, crap," groaned Wes. For as soon as he and Rui stepped outside, they could see a trio of bald men approaching them, each of them wearing the same dark red vest.

"Hey, Wes!" exclaimed one of them. "We finally found you, you filthy, double-crossing traitor!"

"Hello, Wakin," Wes hissed through gritted teeth. "Good to see you, too."

"You little- so, what, wrecking the hideout wasn't enough?" exclaimed a less-than-amused Wakin. "You had to go and rip off the Snag Machine, too? Boy, you got some nerve!"

"Who are these people?" Rui asked. "Are- are they Team Snagem? And… Wes, what do they mean by… by traitor?" she added, her tone of voice suggesting she knew exactly what they meant by traitor.

"Heh, yeah, you're on the right track, pretty lady," smirked Wakin. "Wes here is from Team Snagem, same as us. In fact, he's no ordinary member- he's a Snagger, and he's the best in the business."

"No way!" Rui exclaimed. "Wes… is this true?"

Wes gritted his teeth. He couldn't bear to look Rui in the eyes, genuinely afraid of what look she might have been giving him. He gave a small, imperceptible nod, confirming Wakin's words as truth.

Rui said nothing, but Wakin did not follow her lead. "OK, enough of this. Fork over the Snag Machine, Wes. Now! Hand it over!"

"…Snag Machine?" Rui spoke up again. "Wes, do you really have something like that?"

"He sure does," smirked one of the other Snagem Grunts. "That little machine on his left arm, that's a top-of-the-line Snag Machine. It's built for Trainers. When a Trainer wears the Snag Machine, their Poké Balls are converted. Turns ordinary Poké Balls into Snag Balls that can steal Pokémon from their Trainers in battle!"

"Wh- you blabbermouth!" Wakin hissed. "I know the look on her face is priceless, but keep that stuff secret!"

"So that's why these creeps are chasing after you, Wes," Rui murmured.

Wakin rounded on Rui. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Who are you calling creeps? OK, you know what? This is getting us nowhere! Fork over the Snag Machine, or we take it back by force!" As he spoke, he plucked a pair of Poké Balls off his belt.

In response, Wes drew Espeon and Umbreon's Poké Balls from his trenchcoat pocket. "Bring it," he challenged Wakin. The two of them stared each other down for a moment, and then all of a sudden, the Poké Balls were flying.

"Go, Corphish! Go, Koffing!" exclaimed Wakin.

"Go Espeon! Go Umbreon!" bellowed Wes. "Espeon, Confusion on Koffing! Umbreon, use Bite on Corphish!"

"Koffing, hit Espeon with Sludge!" retorted Wakin. "Corphish, Vice Grip on Umbreon!"

Koffing, however, was unable to even begin to use Sludge, so quickly was Espeon's Confusion attack delivered. The powerful super effective move knocked Koffing out almost instantly. Meanwhile, Corphish was flailing about, snapping its pincers wildly, as Umbreon gripped the Water-type firmly in his mouth.

Wes smirked. "Espeon, Helping Hand. Umbreon, keep up the Bite."

"Corphish! Bubble Beam!" Wakin shouted, but to no avail- before Corphish could even take aim, Umbreon bit down harder, powered up by Espeon's assistance, and Corphish lost consciousness as Umbreon set it down. "No!" Wakin groaned as he withdrew his Pokémon. "I'm not good enough?"

"Damn straight," smirked Wes.

"Blast you, Wes," grumbled Wakin, glaring at the ex-Snagem member. "Don't think this is over! We'll get that Snag Machine back yet. Just you wait and see!" With that, he wheeled around and led his cohorts away.

"Yeah, we'll just see about that!" Wes shouted after them. "It sure looks over to me!" He smirked at this comeback until the trio of Snagem Grunts were out of sight, and then he remembered something fairly important- Rui now knew the truth. Or part of it, anyway. Enough of it to paint Wes in a pretty bad light. As much as it pained him, Wes turned to look at Rui, and involuntarily flinched at the look of disappointment he saw in her eyes.

"So you're from Team Snagem," said Rui, folding her arms. "What… where do I even begin? You steal Pokémon for a living?"

"I did," Wes nodded. "I won't lie to you about that, but Rui-"

"What?" demanded Rui.

"Look, I don't blame you for reacting like this," said Wes. "But at least hear out my whole story before you judge me too harshly, OK?"

Rui's disappointed expression did not change, but she gave a small nod, silently waiting for Wes to start talking.

Wes sighed. "Alright… I suppose it all began when I was, like, seven years old. I grew up in Pyrite Town, and… once my parents died in a house fire, I was on my own, just like that. It was just me, and the family pets- two Eevee. I wasn't much of a Trainer back then, so I wound up resorting to petty theft to get by, rather than prize money from winning battles.

"Espe, Espeon," Espeon nodded, while Umbreon nudged Wes's leg. In response, Wes scratched Umbreon behind the ears before continuing.

"So that was basically my life for the next couple of years. Pretty standard for someone living on the streets of Pyrite Town. And then, one day, I was, like, fourteen or something… I snake this guy's wallet, but he sees me out of the corner of his eye, and catches me. And he was seriously muscular, so I thought he was gonna pound me into next week or something. Instead, he tells me he's impressed since he didn't know I stole his wallet until he saw me trying to sneak away, and next thing I knew, I was being offered a job in Team Snagem." Wes sighed. "I mean, look at it from the point of view I had back then. Homeless youth on the streets in Pyrite Town, had to pick pockets to pay for my food, and steal whatever food I couldn't pay for, and then out of nowhere, I'm not only getting offered a job, but a job that was really compatible with my… unique skills. So yeah, that's how I got into Team Snagem," he sighed. "Gonzap was like a father to me, he taught me all he knew, helped me to become a better Trainer- he even gave me the Technical Machine I used to teach Secret Power to one of my Eevee- the one that evolved into Umbreon, to be exact. Look, I… I'm not proud of the things I did. In fact, that's why I quit," Wes said to Rui. "My conscience was getting to me, and after talking to Gonzap, I realized I wanted out once and for all, but, well, I mean, Team Snagem's not exactly an organization you can just up and quit. Gonzap loathes deserters. Plus, they still had this thing," he added, indicating the Snag Machine on his arm. "And it's supposed to be a really advanced model, too, with all sorts of features. I didn't want to just leave with it still in their possession. So, I, uh… I may have blown up their hideout, grabbed the Snag Machine, and hauled ass away from that place."

At that moment, Wes dared to look at Rui again, only to see that her expression had softened considerably. "Wes… wow," she murmured. "You've had a really rough life, haven't you?"

"It hasn't been a picnic," Wes agreed.

"Well… I've made up my mind," Rui decided. "I… I've decided I'm fine with this. I've decided it doesn't matter to me who you were. What matters is who you're trying to be now. Moreover, what matters is that you stepped in and saved me from those crooks," she added with a smile.

Wes smiled back. "Thanks, Rui," he replied. "That… that means a lot to me. It really does."

"And another thing," Rui continued. "I actually got an idea after listening to those creeps."

"Yeah?" said Wes. "What?"

"Well," Rui smiled. "First off, we should go shopping for some Poké Balls."

"…Right," Wes nodded. "That should be nice and easy to do in a desert region with just about no wild Pokémon whatsoever."

"We can at least try," Rui persisted. "Come on, it's a cool plan, and it'll put that thing to some actual good use."

"… I _do_ like the idea of this thing being used for good," Wes admitted, glancing at the Snag Machine on his arm. "Alright, let's give it a shot. I think we passed a Pokémon Mart on the way to Es Cade's house…"


	5. Chapter 5: A Snag in the Plan

"Well, _that_ was a complete waste of time," Wes sighed, leading the way out of the Pokémon Mart. Before the doors slid shut again, he could still hear the clerk laughing.

"That was so rude of him to laugh at you like that!" fumed Rui, still following Wes. "All you asked was if they carried Poké Balls, and he-"

"Poké Balls?" repeated a woman standing next to the Pokémon Mart.

"Yeah," Wes nodded. "I was looking to buy some, and the jerk in there laughed at me."

"Well, in all fairness, I've not seen Poké Balls being sold in this town in a long time," the woman said fairly. "That being said, I might be able to help you out. Word on the street is that they sell Poké Balls at the Outskirt Stand, do you know that place?"

"Sure do," Wes replied. "Nice place. Great food."

"Well, they got a shop going there, too, selling supplies to traveling Trainers," the woman explained. "I can't imagine why you'd need Poké Balls in a region like Orre, but if you do indeed need them, that's the place I'd recommend going."

Wes nodded. "Thank you," he replied.

Before long, Wes and Rui reached the outskirts of Phenac City, where Wes had parked his motorcycle. "Oh, cool," Rui murmured upon seeing the strange conveyance. "That's yours?"

"Yep," nodded Wes. "Bought it myself years ago. I'm not entirely sure how it stays upright with only one wheel… maybe it has to do with that hover thing under the sidecar, but I don't know."

"That might do it, alright," Rui nodded, approaching the sidecar and cautiously climbing in.

"Heh, Espeon and Umbreon won't be pleased," smirked Wes as he climbed onto the driver's seat. "They usually ride shotgun. OK, here we go," he added, starting up the engine. Rui covered her ears, not used to the deafening roar of the engine. Wes then peeled out, speeding across the desert.

On and on they rode, until at last, the orange locomotive came back into view. Wes slowed down, bringing his motorcycle to a stop right in front of the locomotive.

"So this is it?" Rui asked as they got off. "The Outskirt Stand?"

"That's the one," confirmed Wes. "I recommend their bacon cheeseburger, by the way, if we got time to grab a bite to eat."

"I'll keep that in mind," nodded Rui. "But maybe later. Right now, let's see what they got."

Wes nodded, leading the way inside. "Ah, hey," the man behind the counter greeted him. "Back for another course?"

"Nah, I hear you also run a shop here?" asked Wes.

"Yep," nodded the man. "If you're intending to travel some more, you might wanna stock up on supplies here."

"Oh!" Rui spoke up. "By any chance, do you happen to sell Poké Balls?"

"Huh?" grunted the man. "Poké Balls, you say? There's no call for those things around these parts anymore, but I think we still got some. Where'd I put 'em…" And he went off, searching behind the counter. "Aha! Got 'em," he informed Wes and Rui. "A little dusty, but otherwise they ought to work just fine." As he spoke, he produced a large cardboard box and set it down on the counter, which sent dust flying everywhere. "Gah… sorry about that," he coughed once the dust settled down. "Tell you what- I'll give you these for free," he offered, handing Wes five Poké Balls.

"Cool, thanks," grinned Wes. He accepted the handful of Poké Balls, and then with his right hand, pressed the white button on the part of the Snag Machine that was attached to his shoulder. The button shone a blue light on the five Poké Balls, and they vanished instantly.

"Whoa," Rui murmured, having witnessed this. "That sure beats the hell out of a backpack."

"Uses technology similar to PC storage," Wes explained. "It's not just Poké Balls, either- I can store all sorts of useful items in here."

"That's pretty cool," agreed the man. "Now, I figure I may as well put these out with the rest of my merchandise, so if you needs any more, I got you covered."

"Sounds good," Wes stated. "I think I'll take ten more Poké Balls, then… and maybe five Great Balls, too."

"Alright, and since you're buying ten, that gets you a free Premier Ball as well," stated the man, fishing the requested spheres out of the box. Wes accepted the Poké Balls, storing them in the Snag Machine, before shelling out the necessary Pokédollars to pay for them.

"So, now what?" Wes asked Rui, as they exited the Outskirt Stand.

"Next, I think we should go back to Phenac," stated Rui. "Before we can even think about putting my plan into action, Espeon and Umbreon should be allowed to heal up."

Wes nodded. "Makes sense," he agreed as they climbed onto the motorcycle once more.

Back in Phenac City, however, before Wes and Rui could head off to the Pokémon Center, a woman came running up to them. "Oh! It's you two!" she said. Wes recognized her as the woman who called Folly and his cohort robbers. "Something terrible's happening! A bunch of scary men arrived a few minutes ago, including those kidnappers!"

Rui gasped. "Which way did they go?" she asked.

"I saw them headed towards the mayor's house," stated the woman. "I hope he's OK.

"Come on!" Wes said to Rui, the two of them taking off. The Pokémon Center could wait- Espeon and Umbreon had done their fair share of battling that day, but they weren't even close to reaching their limit.

Thankfully, Wes and Rui remembered the way to Es Cade's house. Wes grabbed the front door and slid it open, and once he and Rui were inside, their jaws dropped simultaneously.

The house was filled with people, and none of them were Es Cade. Wes could see the kidnappers from earlier, a trio of men dressed in odd, armor-like outfits that would look identical were it not for the fact that one was red, one was green, and one was blue. But none of them were why Wes and Rui were in total shock. No, the source of their shock was the tallest man in the room, a slender man dressed in a gaudy gold outfit and high platform shoes. And his outfit wasn't even his most outrageous feature. No, what had truly caught their attention was his hair. The man's hair was red and white, and done up into what had to be the biggest afro in the history of the universe. How he even got through the front door was anyone's guess.

Folly gasped and pointed at Wes. "Master Miror B.!" he exclaimed. "It's… it's him! He's the one who took the girl from us!"

The man called Miror B. wheeled around and looked down at Wes and Rui. "Oh, now aren't you boys frightfully pathetic?" he asked of his cohorts. "You mean to tell me you were bested by these darling infants? Now what's your name?" he demanded of Wes.

"I'm Wes," Wes replied, still somewhat distracted by the man's gargantuan afro.

"Yes, well, Wes, I so don't like saying this, but we're not at liberty to keep your lady friend at liberty," replied Miror B. "That sweet young thing, she can see things that ordinary people aren't supposed to see. And that just will not do for what we're planning to do. No, it just won't do at all." He stopped to chuckle as Wes prepared Espeon and Umbreon's Poké Balls. "Now, if you don't like pain, like most people, you can avoid the pain by keeping your nose out of places it needn't be." Ignoring the aggressive battling stance Wes was assuming, Miror B. wheeled back around. "Trudly! Folly!" he said to the kidnappers.

"Yes!" Folly nodded. "Yes, we will."

"Boys, I shall make my return to Pyrite now," said Miror B. "Now, do remember that I will be waiting for you to return with the little lady. Am I making myself clear? I won't accept failure from you again, boys…" he trailed off into a dark chuckle that sent chills down Trudly and Folly's spines. Ignoring this, he wheeled around, facing Wes once more. "Let the music spin! Let's get it on!" Miror B. sang. He reached into his afro and pressed a button on a music player stashed within the hairdo, and an oddly catchy salsa tune started to play as Miror B. danced his way out of the house. The three color-coordinated men followed him, leaving only Wes, Rui, Trudly, and Folly behind. And of them, Folly stepped forward.

"You, you, you!" Folly exclaimed. "You just caught me off-guard last time. But not this time!" As he spoke, he threw a pair of Poké Balls. Wes was mildly surprised- instead of two Whismur, this time Folly was using a Whismur and a Lotad. Even with this unexpected change of lineup, however, Folly's Pokémon didn't last long at the hands of Espeon and Umbreon. And what was more, Folly seemed disinclined to send out his second Whismur, to the point where Wes wondered if he even had that Whismur on him anymore.

"Awww, blast it!" whined Folly as he withdrew his unconscious Lotad and Whismur. "I got tripped up again!"

"Yeah, well, now it's my turn!" Trudly stated, now stepping forward. "I'm not ending up like Folly! Duskull! Spinarak!" he exclaimed, throwing a pair of Poké Balls.

Wes snorted. "Espeon, Confusion. Umbreon, Bite. I think you two can guess which ones to target."

Indeed, with precision knowledge of type matchups, Espeon fired his Confusion attack at the Poison-type Spinarak, while Umbreon chomped down on the Ghost-type Duskull. Though both moves were super effective on their respective targets, only Spinarak fainted in one hit, which Wes wasn't very surprised by- he was more than used to Espeon always being the one to knock out enemies in one hit. Umbreon was better at taking hits than dishing them out.

"Gah! Come back now, Spinarak!" grunted Trudly as he withdrew the String Spit Pokémon.

"It's two on one now, guys!" smirked Wes.

However, at this, Trudly smirked as well. "Is it, now?" he added, producing a third Poké Ball from his belt. "You ain't seen nothing yet! I choose you, Makuhita!" he exclaimed, launching the ball. It split open in midair, unleashing a pudgy yellow Pokémon, its dark blue hands clenched into perpetual fists.

Wes snorted- Makuhita wasn't going to fare any easier against Espeon's Confusion than Spinarak did, but before he could open his mouth to taunt Trudly with this fact, Rui gasped, pointing a shaking finger at the Fighting-type. "Wes!" she exclaimed. "That's the one! That Pokémon, that's what I was talking about! Those jerks captured me because I saw that Pokémon!"

"Wha-" began Wes. "It looks like an ordinary Makuhita to me."

"Well, I can see a purplish-black aura coming from it," stated Rui. "They must have done something to that Pokémon!"

Wes was confused. He could see no aura around the Makuhita. And then, without warning, Makuhita charged forward, and rammed into Wes! He was able to brace himself, so the blow didn't knock him back very far, but it hurt nonetheless.

"Oh, Wes, be careful!" Rui said. "It's not afraid to attack people! Wes… this is what I was getting at. You can use the Snag Machine, get it back from the bad guys, and we can try to fix whatever happened to it!" she whispered so Trudly and Folly couldn't hear her.

"Snag it, huh?" Wes murmured. He wasn't exactly keen on Snagging Pokémon anymore. If he was, he wouldn't have quit Team Snagem in the first place. But on the other hand, this wasn't Snagging some little kid's beloved pet- this was stealing a dangerous Pokémon from equally dangerous crooks. That seemed to put Wes's mind at ease somewhat, and so he nodded to Rui. "Alright. Espeon, use Confusion to finish off Duskull! Umbreon, use Secret Power on Makuhita!"

"Espe?" Espeon murmured. He was certain Wes would've commanded him to fight Makuhita instead, but he used the attack on the specified target nonetheless.

As Trudly withdrew his now-unconscious Duskull, Umbreon unleashed the Secret Power attack, which got Makuhita screaming in a fit of rage. "Use Shadow Rush!" he ordered.

"Shadow Rush?" repeated Wes, bewildered. He'd never heard of such a move before.

"Hita!" Makuhita exclaimed, a purple aura manifesting around it as it charged forward, slamming into Espeon with reckless abandon. However, Wes noticed that Makuhita took a little damage from the attack as well.

"Wes! Try it now!" Rui urged him.

In response. Wes closed his eyes and focused. If this Snag Machine worked the same way as the previous model, then this was what he had to do. He pictured a single regular Poké Ball in his mind, and then touched the red cuff of the Snag Machine, the part around his left wrist, to the white button from before. Sure enough, as he drew back his left arm, a Poké Ball materialized in his hand, full size and ready to be thrown. A few rings of energy swirled around the ball for a brief moment.

"What are you…" began Trudly.

"Go, Snag Ball!" Wes exclaimed, launching the sphere forward. As it hurtled through the air, the energy reappeared, this time in the form of five odd fingers, forming the vague shape of a hand. The "hand" grabbed Makuhita, sucking it into the ball, and it fell to the floor in the middle of the battlefield.

"No! NO!" Trudly exclaimed, but even as he shouted, the ball stopped shaking and fell still. At this, the white button on the Snag Machine glowed blue for a moment, and the ball flew into Wes's left hand. "Wh-what?! My Pokémon!" Trudly exclaimed.

"I think you mean _my_ Pokémon now," smirked Wes as he pocketed Makuhita's Poké Ball.

"Gah… Darn it, but you're good," Trudly grumbled. "You Snagged my Pokémon!"

"Hey, what are you saying?" demanded Folly. "You're not supposed to be impressed!"

"Well, can you blame me?" asked Trudly defensively. "He _is_ good."

"Well, yeah, but don't tell him that!" retorted Folly. "You idiot… But geez… what are we supposed to do? We got flattened again. Miror B.'s gonna chew us out!"

"What do we do?" asked Trudly. "What _is_ there to do?"

The two men exchanged looks for a moment before speaking simultaneously: "RUN AWAY!" And true enough, they fled from Es Cade's house like a pair of Wurmple fleeing a hungry Swellow.

Rui wasn't too concerned that her former captors had escaped. "You did it, Wes!" she smiled. "You Snagged that Pokémon from that goon!"

"Heh… I guess this thing can be used for good, after all," Wes remarked, smiling at the Snag Machine. "Who knew?"

"But… I'm sure there's gotta be more Pokémon like it," Rui added, now sounding worried. "So, Wes… how about we get them all back from the bad guys?"

"Wh- All of them?" repeated Wes. "Well, it's an idea. I don't know if we'll succeed, but… I guess it's how I can try to make amends for the things I did in years past… Alright, I'm in," he decided. "By the way, Rui… uh… since you seem the only one who can distinguish those kinds of Pokémon by sight… I guess we'll be traveling together some more."

"Oh- yeah, I guess so," Rui responded with a small smile. "Y-you don't mind, though, right, Wes?" she added.

"Not at all," Wes responded with a smile. Rui was really starting to grow on him at this point, between her cheerful personality and her acceptance of Wes's shady past.

Wes took a small metallic device out of one of his trenchcoat pockets and opened it up. "Hmm," he murmured, consulting his P*DA. "Strange… According to this, that weird Shadow Rush move Makuhita used? It's the only one it seems to know. Apparently it should have three other attacks, but the device won't display them for whatever reason."

"That's weird," Rui frowned, moving over to get a look at the P*DA screen. "What type is Shadow Rush, anyway?"

Wes pressed a few buttons, but nothing happened. "It won't say," he murmured. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Shadow Rush didn't have a type… but that's ridiculous… Who ever heard of a move without a type?"

"What has been done to this poor Makuhita?" Rui sighed.

Wes turned to Rui. "We'll figure it out," he assured her. "And whatever's wrong with Makuhita, we'll fix it."

In response, Rui threw her arms around Wes, but quickly stopped herself and let go. "Uh, eheheh… sorry," she murmured, blushing furiously. "I- just- thanks, thank you, Wes."

"No problem," Wes replied, trying not to blush himself- if he was honest with himself, he actually kinda enjoyed the hug.


	6. Chapter 6: Big Jaw-Dropping

After leaving Es Cade's house, Wes and Rui paid a visit to the Phenac City Pokémon Center. Wes had Espeon, Umbreon, and now Makuhita healed up by the friendly and helpful nurse. After this, considering how late it was getting, they booked rooms for the night.

"…I still say it's weird the way they go 'We hope to see you again,'" Wes stated as they exited the Center the next morning. "I mean, think about it, it's a hospital for Pokémon. Seeing them again means your Pokémon are injured, and- what the hell?" For at that moment, Wes noticed one of the men from the previous night barring the way out of the city's southern exit. A quick trip around the city confirmed that the other two men had the other two exits covered. They were the three color-coordinated men from the mayor's house, Wes realized.

"What do we do?" Rui murmured.

"Only one thing _to_ do," Wes stated. He walked over to the nearest one, the one dressed in a blue outfit.

"Sorry to break it to you," the man greeted them. "But I'm not about to let you pass."

"Oh, yeah?" Wes retorted. "You think I give a Raticate's ass whether you 'let' us do anything?"

The man snorted derisively. "What, do you have this idea that you can take me in a battle or something?" he asked.

In response, Wes drew two Poké Balls from his trenchcoat. "Does that answer your question?" he retorted.

"And then some," smirked the man, plucking two of his three Poké Balls off his belt. "Let's see how you stack up against the great Bluno! Now, let's go! Spoink! Grimer!" he exclaimed, throwing the balls simultaneously.

Wes responded by throwing his two Poké Balls. "Espeon! Makuhita!" he shouted as the duo materialized. "Espeon, Confusion on Grimer! Makuhita, Shadow Rush on Spoink!"

"MAKUHITA MAKUHITA!" screamed Makuhita. The command was coming from a different Trainer than usual, but he didn't care- all that mattered was the target before him, and so he charged forward, slamming into the Psychic-type hard. Meanwhile, Espeon blasted the puddle of sentient sludge with a powerful telekinetic blast. While Spoink was still feebly hopping around on its curly tail, Grimer was clearly unconscious.

"This ain't over!" snapped Bluno as he withdrew Grimer. "I still got one more!" And with that, he threw his third Poké Ball. "Croconaw, let's go!"

As the ball opened up and unleashed the blue bipedal Water-type, Rui stifled a gasp. "Wes!" she said. "That Croconaw! It's got the same aura as Makuhita! It's another one of those things!"

"Got it," Wes nodded. "Makuhita, use Shadow Rush on Croconaw! Espeon, finish off Spoink with a Return attack!"

Pink hearts formed in midair and swirled all around Espeon's body. As this happened, Espeon charged forward, tackling Spoink with great force, and knocking it out once and for all.

"Grrr… Croconaw, we'll use Shadow Rush as well!" snapped Bluno.

"Croco!" roared Croconaw, as he and Makuhita charged at each other. The pair clashed furiously, but Makuhita's attack won out, sending Croconaw tumbling to the ground.

Seeing the opportunity he had, Wes pressed the cuff of the Snag Machine to the white button once more, while picturing a Poké Ball in his mind, and threw the freshly-converted Snag Ball at the exhausted Croconaw. Before Bluno could do much more than protest, Croconaw was securely caught, its new Poké Ball safely in Wes's hand.

"Oh, geez…" murmured Bluno. "Y-you… you're tough! Trudly and Folly can't be blamed for losing!"

"OK, you, what was that strange Pokémon?" Rui demanded. "What did you people do to it?"

Bluno smirked. "Oh, that?" he said. "It's a Pokémon we turned into a fighting machine by artificially closing the door to its heart."

Rui gasped. "You didn't!" she exclaimed, horrified.

"Oh, but we did," smirked Bluno. "Not that knowing that will help you do anything, of course. See ya!" And with that, he took off. As he ran off into the distance, Wes could see his color-coded cohorts joining up with them, having apparently abandoned their posts at the city's west and east exits.

"I heard about that when I was little," Rui murmured. "Pokémon. And closing the door to their hearts. I heard that it can be gradually reopened by battling together with it." She then glanced at Makuhita. "Wes… the aura around Makuhita, it… it doesn't seem quite as intense as before," she added. "I think… I think there may be something to it. Maybe you should use Makuhita and Croconaw in a lot of battles, and that could get them to reopen the doors to their hearts!"

"I'll give it a shot," agreed Wes. "But where would I use them? Phenac Colosseum's challenge is probably still underway…"

"Looking to battle, mister?" came a voice. Wes turned- he saw a little boy standing by a building that was sunk into the ground somewhat in the center of the city. "Try going in here, take on the Pre Gym challenge!"

"The Pre Gym challenge?" repeated Rui. "What's that?"

"You get to battle four Trainers in a row," explained the boy. And if you beat them all, Justy gives you a prize, and he might even challenge you to battle himself! But I'm warning you, Justy's some kind of tough!"

"Well, that sounds like a good place to start," Wes remarked. "C'mon," he added to Rui.

They didn't go to the Pre Gym right away, however. First, they stopped at the Pokémon Center so Wes could heal up his Pokémon. Once they exited, however, they made their way to the building the little boy was standing in front of, which the little boy identified as the Pre Gym. Wes led the way inside.

"Hi!" a young woman greeted Wes and Rui. "Welcome to the Prestige Precept Center, or Pre Gym for short! This is a place for Trainers and Pokémon to not only sharpen their strength and skills, but also their body and spirit."

"We're in the right place, then," smiled Wes. "So, who do I talk to about tackling the Pre Gym challenge?"

"That would be me," came a voice from their right. Wes and Rui looked to see a man with purple hair coming their way. He looked about Wes's age, maybe a little older. "The name's Justy. I'm in charge of the Pre Gym. So judging by your appearance, I get the feeling the two of you are traveling, yeah?"

"Yeah," confirmed Wes.

"I figured as much," Justy nodded. "So, you want to take on the challenge? Then let me introduce you to the Trainers of Pre Gym. Go into the Battle Area there, and stand on the left side," he added, pointing to the raised section of floor. Wes did as instructed, with Rui standing off to the side, intent on cheering him on.

The Trainers entered, one at a time, through an elevator that rose up out of the floor. Wes's first opponent was a boy named Botan, who came at Wes with a Sunkern and a Hoppip. Makuhita and Croconaw made short work of the both of them, despite the latter's type disadvantage. All they needed was a single Shadow Rush apiece. Next up was a girl named Liqui, who sent out her Marill and Surskit. This time, while Surskit went down quite easily, Marill did not. Unfortunately for it, this meant Croconaw and Makuhita ganging up on it. It went down fairly quickly after that. After Liqui lost, Wes's third opponent approached, a younger boy by the name of Dugo, who used a Trapinch and a Swinub. This time, while Makuhita defeated Trapinch, Swinub managed to evade Croconaw's Shadow Rush by using Dig. However, while it managed to land a solid hit on Makuhita, the Fighting-type was more than ready to retaliate with a solid Shadow Rush, knocking Swinub clean out. Finally, a young woman named Gwin challenged Wes with her Rhyhorn and Geodude. This was the toughest one yet, with both Pokémon having considerable Defense, enough to withstand Shadow Rush. Makuhita and Croconaw wound up ganging up on Geodude to take it down, then doing the same with Rhyhorn.

"Whoa," Justy grinned as he himself walked onto the battlefield. "That was inspiring! You showed me a great battle! It deserves a gift- here, take this." As he spoke, he handed Wes... some sort of herb.

"…What is that?" Wes asked, almost reluctantly accepting the herb.

"It's a White Herb," Justy explained. "If you have your Pokémon hold it, and it gets any of its stats lowered, all it's got to do is eat this to undo it. It can come in handy in tough battles."

"Right," Wes nodded, adding the White Herb to his Snag Machine's inventory.

"Now… you don't have six Pokémon yet, do you?" Justy asked. Wes shook his head. "Well, when you do, come back here- that's when I'll challenge you to battle. And I'm looking forward to it!"

Wes grinned. "Works for me," he replied. "Thanks, Justy."

As Wes and Rui exited the Pre Gym, Rui turned to Wes. "So where do we go from here?" she asked. "We should go after those shady guys from the mayor's house, shouldn't we?"

"Oh, definitely," nodded Wes. "That guy with the afro, where'd he say he was going… did he say Pyrite Town?"

"I think so, yeah," nodded Rui. "So, we should head there next, then?"

"Makes sense to me," stated Wes, leading the way out of town. He knew the way to Pyrite like the back of his hand. Revisiting his old hometown… _this_ was gonna be interesting.


	7. Chapter 7: Good For What Cails Ya

"Wes?" Rui murmured. They had parked the motorcycle, and were now approaching the decidedly dilapidated town. "You… gonna be OK?"

"Yeah," Wes nodded. "Honestly, it kinda feels like I'm returning home. Which I basically am, really."

"OK," nodded Rui. "Wow, that tower out in the desert, though… what do you think that's about?" she asked.

Wes shrugged. "No idea," he replied. "That one construction worker did mention it'd have a colosseum at the top. Could be some kind of battle facility."

As they talked, they arrived in Pyrite Town. The buildings were shabbily slapped together and shoddily maintained. The ground was filthy. The air seemed a little dirty, even. Wes could see a large dome-shaped building off in the distance, albeit with pieces torn off, and in front of that, what appeared to be some sort of windmill. More to the point, however, an argument was occurring right before their eyes.

"Awww, Mr. Johnson, give a man a break here," whined a man with green hair who looked close to Wes's age. "I keep telling you, I don't know anything."

"That better be true, Cail," the police officer responded warningly. "If you're trying to con me, I'll know about it!"

Cail gasped. "Why, Mr. Johnson, sir, I'm offended! I wouldn't dream of lying to you! You've got to believe me, right?"

"Alright, fine," relented Johnson. "I'll let you off easy today. See ya!"

"See ya," Cail responded, watching Johnson walk confidently down the streets as though he owned them, which Wes suspected he in fact did not. Sure enough, once Johnson was out of sight and earshot, Cail's innocent look gave way to a smug smirk. "Heh. What a nitwit," he chuckled. "Of course I haven't got anything to tell you!" Then he noticed Wes and Rui, who had been looking at him. "The hell are you looking at?" he demanded. "I haven't seen your faces around these parts. What are you, tourists? If you don't want to get hurt, you should get lost, and quick. For the good of your health. Heheh."

Wes smirked. "Why, Cail, I'm offended," he replied. "Haven't seen my face around these parts? You sure about that?"

"What are you- wait a sec," Cail murmured. "…Wes? Is that you?"

"It's been a while, huh?" said Wes.

"Damn straight," nodded Cail, shaking Wes's hand. "I ain't seen you since Gonzap recruited you into Snagem. How's that going? I heard about the hideout blowing up."

"I'll go you one better- I _made_ the hideout blow up," Wes smirked.

"You're kidding me!" said Cail. "Thought you had a good gig there."

Wes shrugged. "What can I say? Conscience started getting to me. Oh, yes- Cail, this is Rui, she's traveling with me. We're kinda working together to save some Pokémon, it's a long story. Rui, this is Cail, we were next door neighbors growing up. Cail, they still call you the gatekeeper of Pyrite?"

"Damn straight they do," Cail grinned proudly. "Friggin' Johnson, though, nosing into my business every other day…"

"Johnson, huh?" grinned Wes. "Some things never change, I see. So, Cail, you seen any shady characters coming in here today?"

"Yeah, and how," nodded Cail. "Bunch of 'em. Three weirdos dressed in red, green, and blue. Two oddly dressed dudes… and, oh, yeah, this freakishly tall guy dressed like a Nugget, with an afro the size and color scheme of an Electrode, I shit you not."

"Yeah, that's them, alright," Wes nodded. "Appreciate it, man. See you around."

"Back at you, man," nodded Cail as Wes and Rui started to walk away.

"Just hope next time we meet I won't need to bring bail money!" Wes called back. Cail laughed at this.

"Wow," Rui remarked. "You two go way back, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah," nodded Wes. "Cail was my best friend growing up. Alright, yeah, police headquarters is right here," he added, leading the way to a green building. "If Pyrite's police force is how I remember it, they won't be much help, but it's better than nothing."

As they entered the building, however, someone collided with both Wes and Rui from behind. He didn't knock them over, but he did push them forward somewhat, catching the attention of the police chief nearby. "Owowowow…" groaned the man- who, upon Wes turning around to look, was Officer Johnson himself. "I'm sorry, chief, but there's trouble afoot!" exclaimed a dazed Johnson. "I'm hearing talk that thugs have been witnessed using strange Pokémon, and you're not the chief," Johnson added upon getting a proper look at Wes. "Why are you not the chief?"

"Because I am," replied the chief, as he approached them. The man, in Johnson's defense, was dressed somewhat similarly to Wes, with a blue overcoat, and even his silver hair, one could argue, bore a slight similarity to Wes's hair. "That story's nothing new, Johnson. I've heard about it over and over already."

"…Oh," Johnson finished lamely. "Well… you two!" he added, turning back to Wes and Rui, clearly intent on changing the subject. "I am Johnson- I'm the law around here. It's my job to uphold the peace in this town."

"Yeah, I know," grinned Wes. "I take it you don't remember me, Johnson?"

"Wha- well, I'll be damned," chuckled the chief. "Little Wesley. I ain't seen you in years. I hope you're done with the whole shoplifting and pickpocketing thing you had going on?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Wes nodded. "Me and my friend here, we actually came here because we're trying to help out with this strange Pokémon thing that's happening."

"Good, good," nodded the chief. "So who is your friend here, anyway?"

"I'm Rui," replied Rui.

"Chief Sherles," responded the chief. "The pleasure's all mine. I see you've met Johnson already. Or as we call him around here, that nitwit Johnson."

Rui frowned. "Isn't that a bit harsh?" she asked.

"It really, really isn't," Wes assured her. "If anything, Sherles is going easy on him."

"OK… well, what about the strange Pokémon?" asked Rui. "We heard that some shady guys came into town?"

"That don't narrow it down much," sighed Sherles. "Half the folks in town are what you'd call shady. We did get two guys in here a few minutes ago, though. Turned themselves in for swiping a hovercar. One of them's wearing this weird bumpy hat, and the other's got no sleeves on his shirt."

"That sounds familiar," Wes remarked. "Can we see them?"

"Go right ahead," nodded Sherles, gesturing to a door to Wes's right. Wes led the way through it, and sure enough, the first jail cell that they saw had two very familiar occupants.

"Wh-what?!" Folly exclaimed. "Not you two again! Listen, you guys gotta promise us you won't tell Miror B. we're hiding out here, OK?"

"You're hiding out here?" Wes repeated. "That's why you turned yourselves in for stealing that hovercar?"

"Yeah," sighed Trudly. "We blew our last chance when we failed to stop you guys. So we turned ourselves in for stealing that hovercar, and, well, here we are. And you want to know what really sucks? We didn't even actually steal the car! Folly bought it! But yeah, we're safer if we stay here."

"OK, so, you want us to keep your secret?" Rui said to Trudly and Folly. "Maybe we will. But see, we're actually looking for your boss. You maybe want to tell us where we can find him?"

"What's in it for us?" demanded Folly.

"We keep quiet is what's in it for you," retorted Wes.

"Pfft," snorted Trudly. "I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night. "So, what, we tell you where Miror B. is so you can find him, and you don't tell him where we are? So what if we don't tell you? How are you gonna spill the beans if you need our help to find him in the first place? To whom are you gonna spill those beans, hmm?"

"Who says we need your help?" smirked Rui. "Pyrite's not a big town, and Wes here knows it like the back of his hand. He was born and raised here. Surely it won't be too hard for us to simply… stumble upon Miror B. After all, how could we miss him? You can see that afro from space. And when we do stumble upon him, if you haven't helped us with said stumbling, well, I'm afraid there's not much that'll stop us from letting slip exactly where you guys can be found."

Trudly and Folly exchanged nervous looks. "OK, alright, we'll talk," Folly said nervously. "Look, we don't know where exactly the hideout is- boss was supposed to fill us in on that when we got here, but then you guys kinda threw a Mankey wrench in the works there."

"Not sorry for that, for the record," interrupted Wes.

"The key lies with the Pyrite Colosseum," Trudly explained. "That's the key to our plan. That's all we know, we swear. If you snoop around there, I'm sure you'll be able to make your way to Miror B. The boss's hints can be cryptic, but he's never steered us wrong yet."

"He only gives you cryptic hints?" asked Wes skeptically.

"He claims it's just in case we get caught and interrogated," explained Trudly. "Minimizes the chance we can be squeezed for any valuable information."

"Oh, he's good," murmured Rui.

"So yeah- the colosseum," stated Folly. "And I think he said something about Duking, too."

"Duking?" repeated Wes. "There's no way. Duking wouldn't be involved in something that shady."

"All we know is what the boss told us," shrugged Trudly. "So… you'll keep quiet about where we are?"

"Fine," stated Wes, before wheeling around and storming out of the building.

"Wes?" Rui said as she caught up to him. "Who's Duking? What's all that about?"

Wes stopped. "Duking is… he's like, the mayor of Pyrite, except he doesn't have actual authority, and there's no election, either. But that's the closest thing I can think of. He's this very well-respected guy. Big guy- huge muscles. Always has this cute little Plusle with him, too- very stark contrast, but it gets the point across- he's kind of a gentle giant, I suppose you could say. Big, huge, hulking guy, looks like he could snap you in two, and odds are he really could, but odds also are he wouldn't dare. He's pretty much what Johnson tries to make himself out to be."

At that point, they arrived at a small building. On the wall was a stylized letter G made to resemble a Poké Ball. "This is the place," Wes stated, strolling inside.

"Hello," said a very large, muscular man sitting behind the desk. Wes and Rui found themselves directly in front of him- it was truly a very small house. "The name's Duking. I run the colosseum here- oh! Wait a minute, Wes, is that you?"

"In the flesh," smirked Wes. "Good to see you again, Duking."

"Well, welcome back to Pyrite, lad," Duking said with a small grin, though he didn't sound nearly as happy as he tried to make himself sound. "It's been years! I remember when your parents had me babysit you! Oh, man… I'd love to catch up, man, but I'm actually pretty busy at the moment."

"Listen, Duking," said Wes. "I heard something about how you might be involved in something shady involving the Colosseum-"

"I said I'm busy!" Duking interrupted, banging his fists on the desk. After taking a deep breath, he spoke up again. "Sorry… I'm sorry… just… under a lot of stress here. Got a colosseum to manage."

"Riiiiight," Wes nodded, eyeing Duking curiously. "I'll just… yeah." Then, his eyes lit up as he spotted one of the bookcases up against the back wall. "Ohoho, now this I remember," Wes grinned. As he approached the bookcase, a young boy standing before it spoke up.

"Uh, um- I'm the lookout!" he stammers. "Nobody is supposed to get by me! There's certainly nothing special behind the bookshelf!"

Wes and Rui exchanged grins, before the former reached for a small, inconspicuous button on the side of the bookcase. Sure enough, once he pressed it, the bookcase slid aside, revealing a doorway.

"Whoa!" Rui murmured, peering inside. "What's this?"

"Duking accidentally discovered this small cave right behind his house," Wes explained. "So he made that secret bookcase door to hide it. He used to babysit more or less everyone's kids back in the day, so he let us use this cave as kind of a clubhouse. It was really cool." Inside the cave, there were some kids talking in hushed voices. Wes caught the phrase "Snag them back from the criminals", and looked intrigued, but before he could investigate, he heard someone storming into the house. Wes and Rui wheeled around, and spotted a silver-haired teenager standing before Duking's desk.

"Duking!" the teen exclaimed. "How much more are you gonna take from Miror B. and his stooges?! They are using you and the colosseum! What the hell's the matter with you, man? Have they sucked the spirit right out of you?!" As he spoke, he slapped both hands down on the desk, which made a much less impressive sound than Duking's fists have done. Duking said nothing, looking away, not daring to meet the teenager's eyes. "Tch," the teenager sighed in disgust. "So you just clam up. I've lost faith in you!" With that, he wheeled around and stormed out.

"…What was that all about?" murmured Rui.

"That was Silva, Duking's friend," whispered the young boy who seemed to suck at being a lookout. "But he looked so angry…"

Unable to figure anything else out, Wes and Rui departed from Duking's house. They recalled what Trudly and Folly said about the Colosseum, and so they headed north. But once they approached a section of street with two yellow circles painted on the pavement, one inside the other, Rui froze. "Wes… it was here in this square I saw that strange Pokémon," she murmured. "I tried leaving town afterwards, and that's where Trudly and Folly grabbed me. We should be careful."

Wes nodded. "Yeah. Even at the best of times, there's nothing normal about this town. This is called Duel Square, by the way," he added. "It's all about Pokémon battling in Duel Square."

At that moment, a provocatively dressed woman approached Wes. She looked a little older than Rui, but it was at Wes she was looking. "Ooh, look what we have here," she said. "You're quite the hottie. Why don't you lose that wallflower with you and be my sweetie?"

"Wha- who are you to call me a wallflower?" Rui exclaimed. "What about me makes me a wallflower?"

"Ahaha!" laughed the woman. "Look at her, she's all serious! Uncool!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna need you to apologize to her," Wes said.

"Oh, relax," the woman retorted. "I'm only teasing out of boredom. A guy like you, you're not to my taste."

"What did you just say?!" Rui exploded. "Wes-"

"I'm on it," Wes nodded, Poké Balls already in hand. "Croconaw! Umbreon!"

"Hah! Zubat! Gulpin!" exclaimed the woman, sending out a pair of Poison-types.

Two Shadow Rushes and one Bite later, the woman bitterly withdrew her unconscious Pokémon, eyeing Croconaw warily, for the Water-type seemed to be eyeing her in turn, only with a hungry look. "Why so serious?" she grumbled. "What kind of a man battles a frail girl like me without easing up? You're not gonna win the hearts of girls that way."

 _Don't be so sure,_ Rui thought to herself, still looking at Wes.

Meanwhile, one of the other people standing around Duel Square approached Wes. He wore a blue coat, and on his head was a red bandana. "Hey," he said. "That was some pretty cool fighting right there. So, yeah- this is Duel Square."

"Oh, I know," nodded Wes. "I grew up on these streets. So I'm guessing we're about to battle, yeah?"

"Heh, you really have been around this block before," grinned the man. "Name's Divel."

"Wes," replied Wes. "So let's do this, then!"

"Yeah! That's what I like to hear," grinned Divel, already throwing his only two Poké Balls. "Go, Psyduck! And go, Quagsire!" he exclaimed.

Both Poké Balls unleashed their respective Water-type occupants onto the battlefield, and as they appeared, Rui's eyes widened. "Wes- the Quagsire!" she gasped. "It's got that aura!"

"Wha- oh, come on," grumbled Wes. Stealing them from the bad guys was one thing, but from just some average street Trainer in Pyrite? How would he get away with that one? "OK… Espeon, Makuhita, go!" he exclaimed, throwing a pair of Poké Balls himself. "Espeon, Confusion on Quagsire! Makuhita, use Shadow Rush on Psyduck!"

"Ooh, you got one of those too, huh?" smirked Divel. "Quagsire, fight its Shadow Rush with your Shadow Rush! Psyduck, intercept Confusion with your Confusion!"

Instead of moving, however, Quagsire simply stood in place and shouted. "Quaa-aa-aaaag!" she exclaimed, sounding about as furious as anyone has ever heard a Quagsire get.

"Wes- now its aura is red!" Rui exclaimed incredulously. "What's going on?"

"Aw, dammit, it's in Hyper Mode again!" grumbled Divel as Espeon managed to land Confusion- Psyduck wasn't quick enough, and wound up using Confusion only after Espeon had done so. "Use Surf!"

"Quaaaaagsiiiiiire!" Quagsire bellowed, shaking her head rebelliously. Instead of using Surf, she instead turned on Psyduck and landed a Slam attack, which knocked the Duck Pokémon clean out.

"Whoa!" Rui exclaimed. "It attacked its teammate!"

"Quagsire, focus!" Divel exclaimed. "Hit them both with Surf right this instant!"

"Quagsire Quagsire Quagsire!" Quagsire shouted, now ramming into Divel, beyond all reason.

"Wes, go for it now!" Rui urged him. "Before it hurts someone!"

"Oh, fine," sighed Wes. He shuddered to think what the people would think of him doing this, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Before Divel knew what was happening, his Quagsire was getting sucked into a Great Ball-turned-Snag Ball, and had been caught by the opposition. And it probably didn't help that he watched the Great Ball fly into Wes's hand. "OK, look-" Wes began.

"Thank you!" Divel exclaimed. "If you tried to pull that on Psyduck I'd be trying to run you out of town right about now, but that stupid Quagsire! Oh my Mew! Friggin' Hyper Mode- it's more trouble than it's worth. And I was told this was some new, powerful kind of Pokémon that was better than ordinary kinds… what a freaking ripoff! Some prize! Keep it, it's yours."

Wes was understandably surprised by this, but that paled in comparison to what happened next. "Here," a man about Wes's age said, handing him a Poké Ball. "My Noctowl's in the same boat as what's-his-face's Quagsire there. I can't control the thing, and that weird Shadow Rush move it has, it's weak as hell when a Noctowl uses it. You want it, it's yours."

"Yeah, take my Flaaffy- please," added a young woman. And it didn't end there.

"Got room for my Skiploom?"

"Please, get this Slugma out of my sight!"

"And this Misdreavus!"

"Wow," Wes remarked as he walked away from Duel Square. After everyone had willingly surrendered their odd Pokémon to Wes, they had all then challenged him to battle. Wes used mainly Espeon, Umbreon, Makuhita, and Croconaw in those battles, and in the process, found that Croconaw could now use Scary Face and Surf, and that Makuhita could now use Focus Energy and Vital Throw. Moreover, his new Quagsire didn't seem to know Surf or Slam, contrary to what seemed to be the case in the battle against Divel. Wes found the newer Pokémon to be just as challenging to control as their previous Trainers did. "That… went better than I could've hoped, in all honesty."

"Yeah," agreed Rui. "So, how are you gonna handle them all?" she added.

"Right now, I'm gonna deposit all the new ones in the PC, take it a little slowly," Wes responded. "Careful," he added, as they approached a narrow bridge spanning a wide gorge that was so deep, they couldn't see the bottom.

"Whoa!" Rui murmured, peering nervously into the chasm. "It's so deep!"

"Yeah, back in the day, we'd always speculate on what might be at the bottom of this gorge," Wes explained. "Some people say it's bottomless. Others say it leads to some underground city, and I've even heard a rumor it leads to some secret colosseum with insanely strong Trainers and Pokémon." He chuckled at this. "I can't believe some of the stuff we believed back then. Alright, here it is," he stated- for they'd stepped off the bridge, and were now at the Colosseum.


	8. Chapter 8: Gearing Up

"Are you kidding me?!" Wes exploded. "Every time!"

"I'm sorry sir, but it's the facts- the challenge is already underway," replied the Pyrite Colosseum receptionist. "If you're willing to wait, I'm sure you'll be able to enter the next one."

"Fine," sighed Wes.

"Yeah, I didn't get in, either," sighed a man standing nearby. "Just didn't make it in time for registration. It's a shame, too- I heard rumors that if you win the challenge, you get an awesome Pokémon, like Cail did- oh, crap, that's supposed to be a secret!" he added suddenly. "Look, you guys heard nothing, OK? You see, hear, know, nothing!"

"Cail?" repeated Rui. "Wes- let's see what Cail knows."

"I SAID IT'S A SECRET!" bellowed the man as Wes and Rui raced out of the Colosseum.

A few minutes later, Cail heard the rapid footsteps, and turned to see Wes and Rui running towards him. "Cail," said Wes. "What's all this about winning some kind of Pokémon in the colosseum challenge?"

"Oh, you heard about that, huh?" grinned Cail. "I'll be glad to show you, but Wes… I do believe you and I are long overdue for a battle, yeah? What do you say?"

Wes grinned. "I figured that's how you'd want to show us anyway," he replied. "So you're on!"

The battle began! Wes sent out Espeon and Makuhita, and Cail sent out Machop and Seedot, neither of which Rui could see any sort of purple-black aura on. Espeon made quick work of Machop, which prompted Cail to send out Ralts. Makuhita then made quick work of Ralts with Shadow Rush, while Espeon finished off Seedot with Confusion, Makuhita having previously weakened Seedot with Vital Throw.

"Geez, you got good!" Cail smirked as he withdrew Ralts and Seedot. "But I still got one left!" And he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Furret!" he shouted.

Rui gasped at what Cail sent out. "It's got the aura!" she said to Wes. "That Furret's one of them!"

"Furret! Shadow Rush!" Cail ordered.

"Espeon! Reflect!" commanded Wes. "Makuhita, use your own Shadow Rush!"

Makuhita and Furret charged at each other, but the former overpowered the latter thoroughly, thanks to the Reflect Espeon set up. With Furret already struggling to get back up, Wes knew it was time.

"Now! Go, Snag Ball!" Wes shouted, throwing the modified Poké Ball which seemed to appear out of nowhere in his left hand. Before Cail could think of something to say, Wes had just caught his Furret.

"M-my Shadow Pokémon!" Cail exclaimed. "That was it?! That lying Miror B.!"

"You knew he was called Miror B.?" asked Wes.

"Who?" asked Cail. "I never saw the guy, I only heard the name. All I know is, this Miror B. guy came up with this fancy tough-sounding name, Shadow Pokémon, but clearly it was no big deal. You guys be careful, too- don't get played like I did! And Wes… Keep the Furret, man. Normally, someone tries to steal from Cail, they don't live to tell the tale. But we go way back, and that Furret is a ripoff anyway. But yeah- Shadow Pokémon, that's about all they give you if you win at the colosseum."

"So the Pokémon with purple-black auras… they're called Shadow Pokémon," murmured Rui as she and Wes walked away, headed back towards the colosseum. They would get answers one way or another.

Meanwhile, in a tiny room atop a tall building, Miror B. himself was speaking on a videophone, communicating with none other than the eerie red-eyed man from Phenac City. "I trust things are going according to plan, Miror B.," the man said.

"Oh, yes indeed, Master Nascour!" grinned Miror B. "Our plan is coming along in a lovely, peachy-keen way! We've already broken Duking's spirit- we can do as we please at the colosseum without his meddling. We've been giving away Shadow Pokémon on the sly to challenge winners for gathering data."

Nascour nodded his satisfaction. "Good," he stated. "The others also appear to be doing their parts to implement our plan. Our Shadow Pokémon plan is falling into place quickly. The final phase is not far off."

Miror B.'s grin widened. "Fuohohoho!" he laughed. "This is perking up my spirit and body! Oh, I feel like…" at this point, he struck a pose. "…dancing!"

Nascour looked annoyed. "Save your dancing until our plan succeeds," he snapped. "I'm off." The screen went blank after that.

Miror B. turned to address the pair of young women standing behind him. "OK, then… I shall make my return to the cave where my darling Pokémon await my return! Let the music play!" And then, as if on cue, the salsa music sounded from within his afro once more, and he danced his way out of the room.

"…the colosseum definitely has a secret," Rui was saying. "I don't care how long it takes, Wes, you've got to take part in a battle challenge there!"

"Absolutely," Wes nodded, already leading the way. However, as they started to pass the windmill, someone stumbled out the door and collapsed. "What the-" Wes began, running over to the man. "Are you OK?"

"I-inside," mumbled the man. "Silva came and…" he passed out after that.

Wes led the way inside, only to see the windmill operator also collapsed on the ground. Wes walked over and helped him up.

"Owowowowow…" he murmured. "That Silva's gone too far this time. He ripped out and ripped off one of the gears! The colosseum's gonna be without power! No power, no colosseum challenge!"

"…Oh, COME ON!" Wes exclaimed.

At that moment, Sherles came racing in, with Johnson not far behind. "Chief!" Sherles addressed the man. "You alright?"

"Yeah," sighed the man called Chief. "Only thing bruised is my pride. It was only Silva, so I wasn't expecting any trouble.

"Silva?" repeated Johnson. "Duking's trusted lieutenant? What kind of motive could he possibly have for doing this?"

"You got me," shrugged Chief. "I'd like to know myself. He was ranting about how the colosseum can just shut down, things like that." He then turned to Wes and Rui. "Sorry to worry you young'uns, I'm fine," he assured them. "But I need a favor, if it's not too much trouble. See, if the colosseum loses power, the whole town suffers. Can I count on you to find the gear Silva ran off with?"

"Sure," Wes agreed. "But… where could the gear be?"

"The construction lot," Cail said. "I'll stake my reputation as the gatekeeper of Pyrite. I saw Silva lugging that gear off towards that big tower they're building. I'll bet anything he hid it among the debris from the construction."

"Thanks, Cail," Wes called, already boarding his motorcycle.

The ride back to the construction lot they'd previously visited was pretty quick, and to make things even quicker, the construction workers were only too happy to direct Wes to the gear. As it turned out, they wanted that gear the hell off the lot- it was cluttered enough without another huge hunk of metal wasting space. Thankfully, Wes was able to fit the gear into the Snag Machine's inventory with no trouble at all, making the return trip equally hassle-free.

"…terribly sorry, Chief," Duking was saying as Wes and Rui re-entered the windmill. "You sure you're OK?"

"Ayep," nodded Chief. "Perfectly fine, no need to worry."

"Glad to hear it," nodded Duking. "But Silva… This is an outrage!"

"No, no," disagreed Chief. "I reckon he agonized over this and did what he felt needed done. He did what he thought right, and I can't fault him for that. Besides which, Duking, I think you ought to take a look behind you," added Chief. "And maybe say thanks while you're at it."

"Wha-" began Duking, and indeed, as he wheeled around, he was just in time to see Wes tap the white button on his Snag Machine twice. A blue light shone out of the button, and the missing gear materialized on the floor. "The gear! You found it?! What amazing luck! Oh, thank you, thanks so much, and please, forgive my behavior earlier," he said. "Especially towards you, Wes, I really shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"Duking… what's going on?" asked Wes. "Miror B.'s giving out Shadow Pokémon to colosseum challenge winners, the town's descending into chaos, and you're not doing anything about it? That's not the Duking I know."

As Wes spoke, Duking picked up the large, heavy gear with absurd ease, and slotted it back where it belonged.

"Alright! All done! Standing by!" Chief grinned, as he reached for the lever. "Oh, thirty long years of cranking gears~ Oh, yeah!" he sang as the windmill roared to life once more, to the old man's delight. "Wahaha! This is how it oughta be! Things are fine now!"

"Wes…" said Duking. "I can tell you've grown out of your petty thieving ways into a real man of courage and honor. I have a favor to ask, if you'll hear me out. I know, I owe you an explanation, and I promise it'll come… but first I must ask this one thing of you."

"Alright," sighed Wes. "What is it?"

"I need you to enter the next colosseum challenge," said Duking. "Find out what's going on. In fact, if you hurry, you might be able to make it- registration should be starting up right about now, now that the windmill has power again. Please… this will be a huge help to me."

Wes and Rui looked at each other. "Seems like we're going to the colosseum, huh?" said Rui.

"Seems like it," nodded Wes. "C'mon," he added, leading the way out of the windmill.


	9. Chapter 9: Building Blocked

To Wes's satisfaction, this time, the receptionist was happy to register him in the colosseum challenge. Wes had to register the Pokémon he was using, after which he was invited to enter the arena- his first match was also to be the first battle of the challenge.

The inside of the dome itself was… about as unimpressive and dingy as the outside. Sunlight peeked in through the numerous holes ripped in the dome, and crowds were gathered on metal balconies, eagerly awaiting the match. An official referee stood off to the side as Wes faced his first opponent, a man who looked somewhat older than him.

"The first match, between Wes and Hoks, will now begin!" the referee declared. "Each Trainer will use two Pokémon at a time, and are allowed to use as many Pokémon as they have on hand. Let the battle begin!"

"You're new to this, aren't you?" smirked Hoks, two Poké Balls in his hands.

"To this colosseum? Yeah," replied Wes as he prepared two Poké Balls as well. "To battling? You wish."

"Well, it's still not going to be easy to get a winning streak going!" retorted Hoks, throwing his Poké Balls. "Go, Barboach! Go, Sandshrew!"

In response, Wes threw the two Poké Balls he'd grabbed. "Croconaw! Furret!" he called out.

The four Pokémon appeared simultaneously. Sandshrew stood at the ready, Barboach flopped around, and Furret and Croconaw glared at their surroundings, eager for something to attack.

And Wes was going to give them something to attack! "Croconaw! Surf, let's go!" he commanded. "Furret, hit Barboach with a Shadow Rush!"

"Furrrrret!" Furret exclaimed, charging forward and tackling Barboach with great force.

"Barboach! Secret Power!" Hoks ordered. "Sandshrew, Scratch! Aim for Croconaw, both of you!"

But Croconaw wasn't about to let that happen. The Water-type summoned a towering tidal wave out of nowhere, which splashed down onto the pair of Ground-types, and they were knocked out instantly.

"Barboach and Sandshrew are unable to battle!" called the referee. "Both of Hoks's Pokémon have been defeated, so the winner is Wes!"

"Gah…" sighed Hoks as he withdrew his Pokémon. "You still got a long way to go in Pyrite Colosseum," he said stubbornly to Wes.

Before very long, Wes's next battle was up- this one against a provocatively-dressed woman named Tisler. Tisler also had only two Pokémon- a Natu and a Meditite. This time, Wes went with his Espeon and Umbreon, and the duo handled the pair of Psychic-types with great ease. After that came the semifinal match, this one against a guy by the name of Vilch, who brought out his Electrike and Cacnea against Wes's Makuhita and Furret. To Wes's mild surprise, Vilch actually had a third Pokémon to bring out as well- after Electrike was soundly defeated by Makuhita's powerful Cross Chop, Vilch sent out his Vulpix. However, this gave him no discernible advantage, and both Vulpix and Cacnea went down to a subsequent pair of Shadow Rushes.

Finally, the time had come- Wes had made it all the way to the finals. Despite the ominous circumstances, despite all the shady dealings going on behind the scenes here, Wes was grinning- this colosseum challenge was an enjoyable one. He smirked confidently as his opponent, an extremely muscular man, took his position.

"The final battle of this colosseum challenge is about to get underway!" declared the referee. "Our finalists are Wes and Mirez! Let the battle begin!"

"Good luck," grinned Mirez. "If you can beat me, Master Miror B. could come calling for your services."

"Indeed?" murmured Wes as he and Mirez prepared their Poké Balls.

"Come on, Wes!" Rui was cheering from the stands. "Beat that guy!"

"Here goes!" Mirez exclaimed. "Go, Bagon! Go, Goldeen!"

Wes threw his Poké Balls as well. "Espeon! Croconaw!" he shouted.

From Mirez's Poké Balls emerged a small dragon with what appeared to be very thick, rock-solid armor on the top of its head, and an orange and white fish who flopped about on the arena floor. Wes's Shadow Croconaw snorted derisively at these opponents, while Espeon stood at the ready, awaiting orders.

"Let's do this!" Wes declared. "Helping Hand and Shadow Rush! Aim for Bagon!"

"Espeon!" Espeon exclaimed, sending a glowing wave of energy into Croconaw's body, but far from using Shadow Rush, Croconaw just stood there, roaring loudly.

"Wes!" Rui shouted from the sidelines. "Its aura is red! It's gone into that Hyper Mode state!"

"Gah," grumbled Wes. Mirez, however, spotted his chance and seized it immediately.

"Do it!" he roared. "Goldeen, Surf! Bagon, use Bite on Espeon!"

Wes gritted his teeth as a tidal wave crashed down onto Espeon and Croconaw. And then, in the wake of the wave, Bagon came charging in, sinking its teeth into the Psychic-type. "Espeon, fight back with Confusion!" he ordered, before turning to the still-enraged Croconaw. "Come on- snap out of it, Croconaw!" he shouted.

At that moment, Croconaw paused. Something about hearing his name get called out like that seemed to snap him out of it. "Croco! Croconaw!" Croconaw responded eagerly.

Rui sighed in relief- Croconaw's aura was back to purplish-black. Still not good in the grand scheme of things, of course, but right now it was at least better than the red aura of Hyper Mode.

Meanwhile, Espeon's Confusion flung Bagon back across the battlefield. However, it managed to get back up, still eager to fight. "Now!" Wes exclaimed. "Let's try this again- Helping Hand and Shadow Rush! Aim for Goldeen this time!"

Espeon repeated the supporting technique, and this time, to Wes's satisfaction, the resulting Shadow Rush sent Goldeen flying. It landed in a heap at Mirez's feet, and wasn't flopping anymore.

"Goldeen is unable to battle!" ruled the referee.

"Grrr," growled Mirez as he withdrew Goldeen. "Alright, try this one on for size!" he shouted. "Magnemite, go get them!" he added, throwing a third Poké Ball, from which indeed emerged the Electric/Steel-type, its single eye fixed on the easy pickings that was Croconaw.

"Espeon, finish Bagon off with another Confusion," Wes stated, as he aimed a Poké Ball at Croconaw. "Come back now, Croconaw," he added, withdrawing the Water-type. When faced with a Magnemite, staying in with Croconaw wasn't a smart move. "Now! Go, Makuhita!" Wes called, throwing another ball, from which the Fighting-type emerged. The Guts Pokémon looked ready for action, and there was certainly plenty of that- before Mirez could give Bagon a command, Espeon's Confusion had knocked it out.

"Bagon is also unable to battle!" ruled the referee.

"Alright, that does it!" declared Mirez, once he withdrew Bagon. "I didn't want to have to resort to this… Go, Delibird!" he exclaimed, throwing a fourth Poké Ball.

Wes held back a chuckle as the red and white bird materialized, clutching the mouth of its sack-like tail plumage in one wing. Delibird were not known for being especially powerful. "We can handle this," he said confidently. "Makuhita, Cross Chop on Magnemite! Espeon, Confusion on Delibird!"

"Magnemite, Thunder Shock on Makuhita!" commanded Mirez. "Delibird, Present attack!"

"De de biiii!" Delibird chirped, producing a glowing orb from the depths of its tail sack, and hurling it at Espeon. Then, the orb exploded… and Espeon emerged from the blast looking stronger than ever, eliciting some derisive laughter from the crowd, directed towards Mirez- Present had healed Espeon.

"HITAAAAA!" Makuhita screamed, sounding very deranged as it charged at Magnemite. The Electric/Steel-type's feeble Thunder Shock, while dealing damage, didn't even slow the Fighting-type down. In an instant, Magnemite had fainted, with only Delibird left standing.

"Magnemite is out!" the referee ruled as Espeon's Confusion hit its mark, dealing decent damage to Delibird.

"Grr… Delibird, you can turn this around!" Mirez called. "Present attack with everything you've got!"

"De de biiii!" Delibird responded, hurling another orb, this time at Makuhita. And this time, the explosion dealt damage. Makuhita was showing signs of getting worn out, but Wes knew it was far from over.

"Let's finish this up!" smirked Wes. "Helping Hand and Cross Chop!"

"Wes, you were fantastic!" Rui exclaimed as Wes strolled confidently back into the reception area. "You really won the whole thing!"

"Yes, congratulations, champion," smiled the receptionist. "You battled fabulously! Please accept this cash prize," she added, handing a wad of cash over to Wes, who happily accepted it. Upon counting it out, he realized he'd been awarded exactly four thousand, eight hundred forty-eight Pokédollars, which Wes found odd, but he said nothing about this. "And also, here is a prize to celebrate your victory," added the receptionist, handing Wes a purple disc.

"Aha, a TM," grinned Wes. "Thanks very much. Is there anything else?"

"Nope, just the cash and the TM- which teaches Toxic, by the way," replied the receptionist. "We'll be looking forward to your next entry."

"Right," Wes nodded. He didn't lead the way outside just yet, however- if this TM really did teach Toxic, he had an idea of just what to use it on…

"…I mean, it's awesome you won," Rui was saying as they crossed the bridge, making their way back across the gorge. "And you clearly had good use for that TM, but even so…"

"Don't speak too soon," Wes murmured, for he could see someone barring their way at the end of the bridge. He was dressed ominously similarly to Bluno, except his getup was more grey-blue. "Hello?" he said to the man.

"Hi, there!" the stranger responded. "You must be the superb Trainer who has emerged triumphant in our latest battle challenge, yes?"

"Yeah, that's me," Wes nodded. "Why do you ask?"

The man's smirk became more pronounced. "Well, today is your lucky day, friend. Miror B., the town's true mover and shaker, wishes you to have a gorgeous gift to commemorate your victory. Please, follow me."

"Oh, yeah, this isn't ominous at all," Wes muttered sarcastically, once he noticed that he and Rui were being led to a tall, especially dingy-looking building not far from the bridge. The man unlocked the door with a key, and the door slid down into the ground, allowing the three of them access.

The interior was hardly an improvement. A woman in an odd purple and pink sort of uniform stood behind a reception desk. On the desk itself, there sat a Poké Ball and a gray binder. "Right," the man stated, addressing the woman. "I'm back with our latest challenge champion. Let's present our lucky winner with a Shadow Pokémon, and watch chaos unleashed!" He gave a dark chuckle after this.

"Oh, nice one," grinned the woman, eyeing Wes. "Our new champ is quite the appealing charmer, too. It makes a nice change from the parade of macho musclemen…" she trailed off for a second, peering intently at Wes, who tried his best to look innocent. "Wait!" the woman exclaimed. "Thi-this isn't happening!"

"Wha-" began the man.

"This guy- he's that Wes guy Miror B.'s been carrying on about!" the woman exclaimed.

"No I'm not," Wes said automatically.

"Yes you are!" the woman retorted.

Wes shrugged. "Worth a shot," he muttered to Rui.

"Wait a sec… Wes? The same Wes who messed with us in Phenac City?" the man said, now glaring at Wes. "Gaaah! I didn't know that when I let him in here!" With that, he took one Poké Ball off his belt, and grabbed the ball sitting on the reception desk as well. "I'll boot you back out!" he declared. "I'll teach you to mess with Cipher! Go, Pineco!" As he spoke, he threw the ball that had been on his belt, unleashing the sentient pine cone. "And whatever your prize was gonna be, good luck fighting it instead!" he added, throwing the other ball, the one he'd plucked off the desk.

From this ball emerged a long, thin Bug-type, whose wings were so transparent and beating so fast that it was easy to miss them at times. It was a Yanma, and something about the look in its compound eyes made it look oddly sinister.

"I think it goes without saying at this point, considering that was supposed to be your prize," Rui whispered to Wes. "But that Yanma is a Shadow Pokémon."

"I suspected as much," nodded Wes, throwing two Poké Balls himself. "Umbreon, use Bite on Pineco! Furret, Helping Hand!"

"Yanma, Sonic Boom! Pineco, Bide!" ordered the Cipher Peon.

Wes gritted his teeth- Umbreon had managed to land the powered-up Bite before Pineco started to store energy, but attacking Pineco any further could be disastrous. And then he realized- only direct attack damage would power up Bide. Indirect damage, on the other hand… "Umbreon! Toxic!" he ordered. "Furret, use Shadow Rush on Yanma!"

The battle went on for some time, with the Cipher Peon having more Bug-types up his sleeve, such as Nincada and Surskit. Wes Snagging Yanma came as something of a shock to the pair of Cipher Peons, and despite a minor issue with Furret going into Hyper Mode, the battle otherwise went without a hitch, Wes emerging victorious with no trouble.

"Gah…" sighed the Peon as he withdrew his Pokémon. "Now it's no surprise how you managed to win the tournament…"

"Will you- Nore, you're not supposed to be impressed!" snapped the other Peon. "You idiot- you brought him in here!" With that, the pair of them ran off. Before Wes could think of giving chase however, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see none other than Duking approaching him, accompanied by a pair of little girls, who, if Wes wasn't mistaken, were his daughters.

"Oh! Wes!" Duking said. "Glad to see you're safe. I heard you entered this building. It got me pretty worried."

"Duking," Rui greeted him. "This is where they were giving Shadow Pokémon to the winners of battle challenges!"

"They were all set to give me a Shadow Yanma, until they realized I was the one who'd been screwing with them this whole time," Wes added.

"Shadow Pokémon?" repeated Duking. "Those ferocious Pokémon that even attack people?" He looked outraged.

"Yes," confirmed Rui. "They're giving them away to thugs for some reason."

"It doesn't look good," Wes added.

Duking's look of outrage intensified. "Those scoundrels… they were using the colosseum to do that?!" he growled.

"Duking," Wes said. "Growing up, I knew you as the guy who kept things in order in this town. What happened? Why are you letting this happen?"

Duking hung his head. "I did say I'd explain," he sighed.

"Papa…" murmured one of the girls.

"It's alright, Marcia," Duking reassured his daughter, before looking back up, locking eyes with Wes. There were tears in Duking's eyes. "They… they took Plusle."


	10. Chapter 10: Battle Tower

"They took Plusle?!" Wes repeated in tones of outrage.

"They took papa's Plusle prisoner," Marcia confirmed, trying not to cry. "I… I'm so worried they might be mean to it…"

"It's so humiliating," Duking sighed. "But yes- that's why I can't stop them. I can't make a move to stop them as long as they have Plusle."

"I can't believe he'd use such a dirty tactic," Rui growled. "That rotten Miror B., he's not getting away with this! Right, Wes?"

"You bet," Wes nodded. "I remember that Plusle. Espeon and Umbreon used to play with her when I was younger."

Rui giggled. "I knew I could count on you, Wes," she smiled.

"Duking, you get everyone out of here- it's not safe in this building," Wes advised the muscle-bound man. "Me and Rui will handle this."

"Thank you," Duking said, his voice thick with gratitude. "Thank you so much. And be careful, always! Miror B. might look way out there, but his battling is all business. I tried taking him on myself… but I didn't stand a chance. He defeated my Larvitar, my Shuckle, even my Meditite, in no time flat… And Plusle's never battled, so I didn't want to send her out. And that's when he…" Duking trailed off there, but Wes got the picture.

After that, Duking departed the building, with his daughters in tow. It was then that Rui noticed the binder on the desk. "Hey, Wes," she said, walking over to it. "What's this?"

"Hm?" Wes murmured, turning to see what Rui was talking about.

Rui picked up the binder. "Ein File H?" she read off of the cover. She opened it up, and started to read aloud. "It seems to be about Hyper Mode. 'Shadow Pokémon, perhaps because of their own overwhelming power, may behave abnormally at times. They may engage in such behavior as ignoring orders, even turning on their own Trainers in battle. This, I have named Hyper Mode.'"

"Who named it?" Wes wondered out loud.

Rui continued to read. "'On the plus side, Hyper Mode raises the critical hit ratio of Shadow Rush. However, Hyper Mode also prevents the use of items on the Pokémon. Hyper Mode is easily dispelled- simply call the Pokémon by name.'"

"So _that's_ why Croconaw was able to snap out of it back in the colosseum!" Wes stated. "I was wondering about that."

"Ooh, it's getting interesting," Rui responded. "Wes, listen to this- 'Hyper Mode is easily dispelled- simply call the Pokémon by name. However, this method has a major drawback. Calling the Shadow Pokémon's name causes the closed door of its heart to loosen and even open. Further research is urgently needed. Shadow Pokémon Lab, Chief Ein.'"

"So this could be at least part of the key to opening their hearts," Wes remarked. "That's interesting. Rui, I'll need you to alert me when Makuhita, Croconaw, and Furret go into Hyper Mode so I can snap them out of it as quickly as possible, OK?"

"You got it, Wes," smiled Rui. "So, you're gonna use Furret, then? I noticed you were using it in the colosseum challenge, but I figured you didn't think to change anything about your team with the PC."

"Well, it was from Cail," Wes replied fairly. "And despite what he says about it being a ripoff, I think it's got potential. Its Shadow Rush is pretty powerful, and it seems to have learned Strength now, too. Not to mention, Helping Hand- very useful move in Orre, considering Double Battles are the standard in these parts. And- hey, check it out, a healing machine and a PC," he added, noticing the devices behind the desk.

"Can we not do that?" asked Rui as Wes started to climb over the desk. "I'm… not exactly dressed to climb over stuff, y'know?" she said, glancing down at her miniskirt.

Wes sighed. "Point taken. Alright, we'll go around. What's the worst that could happen?"

As Wes learned a few moments later, however, the worst that could happen was stumbling upon, and subsequently battling, two of Miror B.'s cohorts. Wes shot Rui a glare as he healed his Pokémon. "Next time I'm getting Makuhita to Cross Chop the desk into kindling," he said.

"Sorry, Wes," Rui sighed as Wes moved over to the PC, depositing Yanma in the storage system.

Wes shook his head as he logged off the PC. "Nah, you didn't know there'd be those guys. I didn't know either, for that matter. C'mon, I saw a flight of steps past that last guy. Let's see where we can go in this place."

As they ascended, to Wes's consternation, the two goons they fought on the ground floor were far from the only ones in the building. As they made their way through the winding corridors, Trainer after Trainer challenged Wes, who was forced to make use of all five Pokémon he had on hand. Multiple times he found himself calling out to Makuhita, Croconaw, and Furret to snap them out of Hyper Mode. Along the way, however, he found the silver lining to this constant battling- in one particularly tough battle against a very fast Doduo, Umbreon demonstrated yet another new move, and managed to disorient the Doduo with his brand new Confuse Ray. And along the way, while Wes was battling, he got the feeling that while Espeon and Umbreon were steadily getting stronger… he wasn't getting the same feeling in regards to his Shadow Pokémon.

Rui was keeping a sharp eye out the entire time, but this seemed to be mostly futile outside of alerting Wes to his Pokémon entering Hyper Mode. Nore seemed to be the only person in the building who sicced a Shadow Pokémon on Wes.

At long last, Wes led the way up yet another flight of stairs, and found himself and Rui being blinded by the bright sunlight- they had reached the roof. Once Wes's eyes adjusted to the light, he looked around- there was a small, dingy-looking room nearby. Also nearby, there seemed to be a cave dug into the large rock the building was built up against. A lone man stood in the cave entrance, arms folded, looking as though he was standing guard. Wes opened his mouth to speak to this man, when he heard a commotion coming from the room. "Come on!" he said to Rui, running over to the door and pushing it open.

There lay Silva on the floor, with two women standing by him. "Darling, aren't you one of Duking's people?" smirked one of them. "What made you think that you could simply waltz in here? Such a silly boy."

"Grr…" Silva growled, attempting to sound intimidating despite how he looked. "Wh-where's Miror B.? I'm taking him down!" he declared, in a brave stab at defiance.

The women laughed at this. "Take him down?" the other woman sneered. "After the beating you just took? Oh, that's too funny."

"Just you wait," Silva persisted. "I'm gonna drive all of you out of this town!"

The women laughed again. "Ooh, such a feisty boy," chuckled the first woman. "Don't tell me we have to take your Pokémon hostage to make you settle down, too."

"What do you mean, 'too'?" demanded Silva.

"Darling, didn't you know?" smirked the second woman. "Your precious Duking won't lift a finger to stop us because if he does, we get to hurt his Plusle."

"You WHAT?!" Silva exclaimed, a look of purest shock and outrage on his face. "You… you monsters! That tears it- I'm running you all out of town! All of you! Do you hear me?"

The women laughed again. "Too funny," smirked the first one. "Oh, too funny, darling. You're gonna run us out of town? You and what army?"

Wes decided that this was the moment to make his presence known, and stepped further into the room. "How's this for an army?" he said, throwing a pair of Poké Balls, from which Espeon and Umbreon materialized.

Everyone present turned to look at Wes and Rui. "Oh?" smirked one of the women, the one with red hair. "We seem to be getting a lot of unexpected company today, but that's no excuse for being a bad host. Let's see if you're any better than this poor slob," she said, with a glance at Silva. "Ferma, you don't mind if I take this one?" she asked the purple-haired woman.

"Go right ahead, Reath," smirked Ferma.

"Then feast your eyes on these!" Reath exclaimed, throwing two Poké Balls. "Spinarak! Remoraid!"

Wes eyed the pair of Pokémon that had appeared before him. Spinarak hardly seemed like a threat, and even if Remoraid did have any sort of type advantage, which it didn't, it didn't look particularly strong in any case, least of all out of water. Wes smirked as the fish struggled to take aim at Espeon and Umbreon with only small fins to work with, but Rui's reaction was quite different.

"Be careful, Wes," she warned him. "Remoraid's a Shadow Pokémon!"

"How'd she know that?!" demanded Reath. "Remoraid, Shadow Rush! Spinarak, use Poison Sting!"

"Espeon, Confusion on Spinarak!" commanded Wes. Instead of giving Umbreon a command, however, instead Wes activated the Snag Machine, causing a Great Ball to appear in his left hand. "And let's see if we can luck out with this one," he added, eyeing Remoraid, who was attempting to flop in Umbreon's general direction. "Snag Ball! Get it!" he said, launching the modified Great Ball.

"No! NO!" Reath exclaimed. She held out Remoraid's Poké Ball to try and withdraw it, but the energy hand the ball was using to grab Remoraid blocked the return beam, and before Reath knew it, Wes had caught her Remoraid. "Gah… How the… You little…"

"Yeah, and look at Spinarak," smirked Wes.

Reath looked- Spinarak had succumbed to Confusion, and was knocked out in just one hit. "OH COME ON!" she whined as she withdrew Spinarak. "Gah, that's it! Let's go!" she exclaimed, throwing a third Poké Ball, from which emerged… a Luvdisc.

"…What," Wes said flatly. The heart-shaped Water-type was flopping around on the floor, just like Remoraid had been. "OK," he sighed. "Helping Hand and Secret Power."

About two seconds later, Reath was withdrawing her unconscious Luvdisc and glaring furiously at Wes. "How did that happen?" she demanded. "Unbelievable! My Pokémon couldn't do a thing- you're no ordinary Trainer!"

"Damn straight, he's not," grinned Rui.

"There's also the fact two thirds of your team can't do crap on land," added Wes.

"Yeah, well, I'm next," snapped Ferma, the purple-haired woman stepping forward, a pair of Poké Balls in her hands. "What were you, hired as Duking's bodyguards or something?"

"Just call me an old friend of Duking's," smirked Wes. "Espeon, Umbreon, ready for more?"

"Espe!"

"Umbre!"

Ferma smirked. "Well, you mess with us, you better be prepared to deal with the consequences!" And she threw her Poké Balls. "Aipom! Mantine!"

Ferma's team seemed a bit more impressive than Reath's, but not by much. The little Aipom didn't look like it could do much to Umbreon or even Espeon. Mantine, on the other hand, was somehow managing to stay airborne by flapping its winglike fins.

Wes eyed the Mantine. "Alright, I'll admit the Mantine looks a little tough," he conceded. "But I-"

"It's also a Shadow Pokémon," Rui interrupted. "Wes, be careful."

"How can she tell?!" exclaimed Ferma. "Mantine! Bubble Beam! Aipom! Fury Swipes!"

"Umbreon, use Confuse Ray on Mantine!" Wes ordered. "Espeon, hit Aipom with Confusion!"

And the battle began! Mantine was hit by Confuse Ray before it could begin to attack, and started to slam itself into the walls of the room, disoriented as it was. Aipom, meanwhile, managed to withstand the Confusion, and fought back by raking the claws of its tail hand against Espeon multiple times in quick succession.

"Again! Confusion!" Wes ordered. "Umbreon, hit Mantine with Secret Power!"

"Come back, Aipom!" Ferma called as she withdrew her now-unconscious Normal-type- Espeon's second Confusion had done the trick. Next, she threw another Poké Ball, and as its occupant emerged, Ferma gave the command. "Furret, Quick Attack!"

This time, Wes had Espeon set up a Reflect while getting Umbreon to deal with Furret. Mantine was still confused at the moment, so he didn't need to do much to it. And then, out of nowhere, Mantine snapped out of confusion. "Yes!" cheered Ferma. "Mantine, Supersonic!"

Mantine opened his mouth, unleashing a volley of high-frequency soundwaves at Umbreon, who immediately started to stagger around.

"Umbreon, return now!" Wes called, holding out the Dark-type's Poké Ball. "I'll fight fire with fire- or in this case, Furret with… Furret!" he declared, throwing his next ball, unleashing his own Furret into the fray. "Use Shadow Rush on the other Furret! And Espeon, use Confusion on Mantine!"

The fight continued on from there. Mantine continued to get worn down, and Wes's Furret toppled her non-Shadow counterpart. At one point, after Ferma sent out a Yanma, Wes tried to Snag Mantine, but it broke free of the Poké Ball. However, this didn't slow down the battle any, and as Mantine was getting progressively weaker and weaker, Espeon and Furret brought down Yanma.

With only Mantine remaining, Ferma had a feeling she knew what Wes was about to do. And Wes, in turn, knew what Ferma was going to try. As Ferma reached for Mantine's Poké Ball, Wes loaded another Great Ball into his Snag Machine. Ferma held out the Poké Ball, as Wes wound up…

"Mantine, return!"

"Go, Snag Ball!"

The next few seconds seemed to slow down, nobody knew what was about to happen. The red recall beam shot out of Mantine's Poké Ball… the modified Great Ball flew towards the Water/Flying-type… The Great Ball made contact… the energy hand formed… and the recall beam was harmlessly deflected by it! Wes grinned as the Great Ball wobbled on the floor and fell still. Desperately, Ferma lunged, trying to grab the Great Ball, but the Snag Machine pulled it right back into Wes's hand, leaving Ferma to pounce pitifully on the floor. "What just happened?" whined Ferma. "This isn't just unbelievable. This is Unbelievable 2- the sequel, the movie, the game!"

"Ferma, get a grip on yourself!" Reath exclaimed, pulling her cohort to her feet.

"Right…" nodded Ferma. "Reath, let's make ourselves scarce for the time being," she added.

Reath nodded. "Righto, Ferma. Let's go-"

"Say it," interrupted Ferma.

Reath sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Ultra-super fire dash. Happy now?"

"Very much so," smiled Ferma as she and Reath hurtled down a nearby staircase.

Wes approached Silva, while Rui investigated a grey binder she saw sitting on a nearby desk. "It's Silva, right?" asked Wes. "You OK?"

"Urgh… Owwww…" Silva groaned. "Yeah, I'm Silva… Thank you, you saved me. Do you people know Duking? You said something about being an old friend?" he said to Wes.

Wes nodded. "We go way back. Used to babysit me when I was little, along with pretty much every other kid in town."

"OK…" sighed Silva. "I'm a fool. I didn't know what was happening at all. I shouted at Duking, I tried to sabotage the colosseum… All this time, they'd been holding Duking's Plusle hostage! How could they do something so downright dirty?"

"That's why we're here," Wes explained, helping Silva up. "I'm Wes, that's Rui. We're here to try and rescue Plusle."

"Y-yeah," Rui nodded, walking back over to them. She was clutching the grey binder, and she looked a little shaken up about something.

"Yeah!" grinned Silva. "I'll come too- agh, owowow…" he added, clutching his torso.

"Not in your condition," Rui said firmly. "You'll have to wait here."

Before anyone else could say anything else, the previously staticky TV screen suddenly showed crystal clear picture- it was Miror B.! "Fuohoho!" he laughed. "We meet again, kiddies!"

"Miror B.!" exclaimed Wes.

"You cowardly cheat!" added Rui.

"Cowardly cheat?" repeated Miror B. "Oh, that is so not true! Taking a hostage is perfectly fine as a bargaining tactic!"

"Bargaining tactic?!" exclaimed Wes and Rui simultaneously and incredulously.

"What kind of scumbag calls that a tactic?" demanded Rui. "Plusle had better be OK!"

"Oh, the darling couldn't be any safer if it tried!" Miror B. replied. "I'm sure it'll come to adore me before too much longer…"

"You gotta be kidding!" exploded Wes. "Where is it? Give it back!"

"Fuohoho," Miror B. chuckled in reply. "No running or hiding for me! Come to the cave- that's where I'll be!" And on that slightly poetic note, the connection was lost, and the screen was overrun by greenish static once more. And as this happened, Rui broke the stunned silence that followed by bursting into tears and throwing her arms around a startled Wes's neck.

"Wah- what-" began Wes. After a moment, the notion that he might try to hug Rui occurred to him, and so he put his arms around her. "It's… it's OK, Rui," he said. He had virtually no experience with calming someone down like this, and hoped he wasn't gonna somehow make it worse- Rui looked distraught as it was. "We'll get Plusle back-"

"No," Rui interrupted. Her sobs subsided somewhat, but she still sounded shaky. "It's, it's not just that. Wes, look," she said, taking her arms from around Wes and indicating the grey binder still in one hand.

Wes let go of Rui and took the binder, which was labeled "Ein File S". The inside bore the heading "Shadow Pokémon". "Alright, let's see… 'A Shadow Pokémon is a Pokémon that has been made into a fighting machine by artificially shutting the door to its heart. What we didn't know is that the Shadow Pokémon exude a dark aura that can't normally be seen by the human eye. Unfortunately, a girl with the ability to see this dark aura has been discovered. This is a major problem. The girl could become a huge obstacle for our Shadow Pokémon Plan. A solution to this threat is urgently needed. Shadow Pokémon Lab, Chief Ein.'"

"I… I'm scared, Wes," Rui admitted in a tiny voice. "I… I only came to Orre to visit my grandparents, and suddenly I'm all wrapped up in this Shadow Pokémon stuff, because I can see those infernal dark auras when nobody else can, and I don't even know why I can see them, and now they see me as a threat and they want me dealt with-"

"Rui," Wes said, cutting across her increasingly hysterical monologue. "Rui, listen to me," Wes said. Rui stopped her panicking for the moment and looked at Wes. "Yeah… yeah, it's a scary situation. But look at me- I'm the one who's stealing back those Shadow Pokémon from them, and thwarting whatever plans they got going. We made it this far in here to try and save Duking's Plusle so he's free to run these crooks out of town. What I'm trying to say here is, we're in the same boat, you and I- if they consider you a threat just because you can identify Shadow Pokémon by sight, what can they think of the guy who's actively stealing them?"

"I… I guess that's true," Rui admitted.

"There's no guarantee nothing's gonna happen to us," Wes continued. "I'm not gonna lie about that. But you've seen my Pokémon in action. Nothing Cipher's thrown our way yet has stopped us, right? And if any of them try and screw with you, they gotta go through us, first."

"Espeon!" Espeon nodded. Furret didn't respond, showing a distinct lack of interest in the conversation.

Rui didn't respond at first, and just looked at Wes. Then, she threw her arms around him once more. "Thanks," she murmured. "Wes… thanks so much. I really needed that." Wes hugged her back, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Silva was giving him a shrewd look. Wes pretended not to notice this look as Rui let go of him. "Alright," smiled Rui, sounding much more confident. "Miror B. said he'd be in the cave? Well, then, come on, Wes- let's go to the cave!"


	11. Chapter 11: Let the Music Play

Before Wes led the way into the cave, their first order of business was to backtrack to the healing machine and PC on the building's ground floor. The guard in front of the cave eyed them warily. Wes also took the opportunity to deposit Remoraid in the PC.

Soon, they got back up to the rooftop, and as Wes approached the guard, he barred their way. "Alright, let us through, come on," said Wes.

"Hm?" the guard retorted. "Oh, I get it now. You guys weren't new recruits, but just intruders, too, like that guy from earlier? He was too weak for words."

"I think you'll find that's not the case this time," Wes retorted, taking two Poké Balls out of his pocket.

"Indeed?" smirked the guard, plucking two Poké Balls off his belt. "We'll just see about that."

There was a brief silence, and then all four Poké Balls went flying at once.

"Croconaw! Makuhita!"

"Goldeen! Qwilfish!"

Wes snorted- at least his Water-type had legs and could function on land. The guard had sent out a Goldeen, who was flopping about just as helplessly as Reath's Luvdisc and the Shadow Remoraid she once owned. The Qwilfish, on the other hand, stood still, its spikes keeping it in place, as it glared defiantly up at its adversaries.

"Wes- the Qwilfish!" Rui gasped. "It's a Shadow Pokémon!"

"Wait, you mean she's the girl who can-" began the guard. "Oh, I can't let this opportunity pass by! Master Miror B. will reward me handsomely if I'm the one who captures her!"

Wes frowned. "That's not about to happen," he retorted. "Makuhita! Cross Chop on Goldeen! Croconaw, use Surf!"

"Oh, but it is!" smirked the guard. "Qwilfish, Shadow Rush! Goldeen, Horn Attack!"

"Qwilfish!" grunted Qwilfish. By slapping his broad tail fin against the roof, it managed to bound forward, and slam into Croconaw, who retaliated by conjuring a huge tidal wave, which washed over both opposing Water-types for minor damage. And then, as Goldeen continued to try and flop forward, Makuhita executed a picture-perfect Cross Chop, knocking it straight out.

The guard scowled as he withdrew Goldeen. "No matter- go, Linoone!" he retorted, throwing a Poké Ball, unleashing what Willie's Zigzagoon would someday become. "Fury Swipes on Makuhita! Qwilfish, Shadow Rush on Croconaw!"

"Makuhita, strike back with Vital Throw!" ordered Wes. "Croconaw, Shadow Rush on Qwilfish!"

Makuhita stood in place, waiting. As Linoone drew close, however, the Fighting-type sprang into action, grabbing Linoone and throwing it down to the floor. The super effective move knocked it out. Meanwhile, the pair of Water-types going at each other with Shadow Rush, seemed to come to a stalemate, with both of them backing off, each having taken considerable damage.

Wes deemed this to be the perfect time to act. He pressed the red cuff of the Snag Machine to the white button, and a Poké Ball appeared in his left hand, as per what he pictured in his mind. Before the guard knew what was happening, his Shadow Qwilfish was getting sucked into the ball. It shook a few times, and fell still before getting drawn back into Wes's hand, courtesy of the Snag Machine's advanced technology.

"Th… that was kinda fun," the guard admitted as Wes withdrew his pair of Shadow Pokémon. "Not sure I like that you freaking stole my Shadow Pokémon… but yeah, battling you was fun, so that's good enough for me. You want to go through, go right ahead," he added, stepping aside.

"Thanks," smirked Wes, as he led Rui inside. Rui made sure to maintain her distance from the guard as they walked into the cave.

The interior of the cave was dimly lit by a number of lanterns hanging on the walls. There were multiple floors to the cave, and those floors were packed with even more Trainers, not unlike the Miror B. underlings back in the Pyrite Building. And what was more, as Rui was quick to point out, many of them were packing Shadow Pokémon. The first one they encountered was a Meditite whose Shadow Rush dealt very good damage due to her Pure Power Ability, but Wes was able to catch it in just a few Poké Balls. Wes healed up his Pokémon after this battle using a number of Potions that came with the Snag Machine. Once they got into a level of the cave where there was a large lake, another Trainer came at Wes with what Rui identified as a Shadow Dunsparce. Wes was able to catch this with little trouble- she used Glare to paralyze Espeon, which activated Espeon's Synchronize, paralyzing the Dunsparce as well. Between Glare and its powerful Take Down, Wes was rather impressed with the Dunsparce, which may have contributed to his decision to use his one Premier Ball to catch Dunsparce. Thankfully, it only took him the one Premier Ball. And just past her, Wes noticed a healing machine and PC. With these handy devices nearby, Wes healed up his Pokémon, then made a quick change to his team. Rui noticed that Wes now had a white Poké Ball among the six he was pocketing.

As they continued onward and battled through more Trainers, Rui determined that it was Furret Wes had deposited into the PC in favor of Dunsparce. The next Trainer they fought had no Shadow Pokémon, but her Zigzagoon and Linoone weren't much of a match for Dunsparce and Qwilfish's Shadow Rush attacks. Wes had to call Dunsparce out of Hyper Mode at one point, but other than that, the fight went pretty well. There were more fights to follow, and in one of them, Rui pointed out yet another Shadow Pokémon- a Swablu. By that point, Dunsparce had regained the ability to use Glare, and so she used it to incapacitate Swablu while Makuhita dealt with the Trainer's other Pokémon. In the end, the paralysis helped greatly- Wes needed only one Poké Ball to Snag Swablu.

"So, Wes," Rui said. "Why'd you switch Furret for Dunsparce?"

Wes shrugged. "I like it," he replied. "I did plan for Furret to stick with me, but I'm liking Dunsparce. It can take hits, and its Clare is really helpful. Qwilfish is pretty good, too, but to be honest, I'm not sure I'll be keeping it on the team once I work out how to cure it being a Shadow Pokémon- I don't really want to have two Water-types, and Croconaw's a bit more agile on land. I mean, Qwilfish can move, yeah, but still, y'know?"

Rui nodded, then blinked. "Hey- do you hear… salsa music?" she asked.

Wes stopped and listened. Indeed, the cavernous corridor ahead of them seemed to have some strangely catchy salsa music echoing. And what was more, Wes recognized this catchy tune. "Miror B.!" he declared, as he and Rui broke out into a run.

They came out in a brightly-lit cavern. A quartet of Ludicolo were dancing to the festive salsa beat, around a circular stage in the center on the room, upon which danced the massive-afro'd man himself. "Yeah, woot!" sang Miror B. as he noticed Wes and Rui. "It's about time, darlings! I'm so frightfully tired of waiting for you! Stop the music!" To Wes and Rui's surprise, as Miror B. said this, the music did indeed stop. "Oh, you kept me waiting for so long, I decided to work up a little…" at this point, Miror B. spun around and struck a pose. "…perspiration! Fuohoho! But, my, you two have been busy being naughty and messing up our plans. It was oh-so-close for everything to turn out just right, just the way we hoped. But," he added with a grin. "I can salvage our plan by beating you, little man." He pointed to Wes as he spoke, which the Ludicolo quartet took as their cue to surround them. "And so… There's time for one last frantic dance before the grand finale!" Miror B. declared. "Let the music play!"

At once, Miror B.'s salsa music started up again. Two of the Ludicolo danced their way behind him, while the other two stood between him and Wes, dancing in place to the admittedly festive salsa beat.

Wes threw a Poké Ball and a Premier Ball. "OK," he said. "Dunsparce, Qwilfish, go!" he declared, throwing both balls at once.

"Fuohoho!" laughed Miror B. "Start things off with a Rain Dance, my lovelies!"

"Ludicolo Ludicolo!" quacked the Ludicolo as they continued to dance. This time, however, their dancing caused black clouds to form just beneath the ceiling, and rain started to fall upon the battlefield. Miror B., still dancing in place, reached into his afro, and to general astonishment, pulled out a large umbrella. He opened it up, stuck it into his afro, and opened it up, shielding his humongous hairdo from the rain.

"Grr…" Wes grunted. "Qwilfish, Dunsparce, double Shadow Rush!" he declared.

"Qwil!"

"Sparce!"

Both Shadow Pokémon responded at once, Dunsparce flying forward with her tiny wings, and Qwilfish bounding forward with his tail fin. Both Ludicolo made to dance out of the way, but only Dunsparce's attack was evaded- Qwilfish was moving very fast indeed, and managed to slam into one of the Ludicolo.

"Wes," Rui said suddenly. "What's Qwilfish's Ability?"

"I didn't check," Wes responded, taking out his (mercifully waterproof) P*DA and checking his Qwilfish's information. "Swift Swim, it seems! That'd explain it!"

"Ooh, no, no, no, that will not do!" Miror B. shook his head. As he spoke, the rain seemed to be revitalizing the struck Ludicolo. "You may have the speed to outmaneuver us, but do you have the power to overwhelm us? My darling Ludicolo heals up with the magnificent Rain Dish as we speak!"

Wes grunted, but held out his Premier Ball. "Dunsparce, return!" he said, withdrawing the Land Snake Pokémon. He then threw another ball. "Go, Umbreon!" he yelled. "Confuse Ray! And Qwilfish, use your Poison Sting!"

Umbreon's rings flashed with energy as it unleashed Confuse Ray, but only one of the Ludicolo was confused by this; the other one had shut its eyes in time, and was still dancing to the beat.

"All right, my darlings!" sang Miror B. "We'll go with Leech Seed!"

"Ludi colo ludi colo!" chanted the non-confused Ludicolo as it fired a single brown seed at Qwilfish. The seed stuck on one of Qwilfish's spikes, and thin roots snaked out of it and bound the Water/Poison-type. The confused one, however, merely hit itself in the head.

Wes grinned. "Alright! Qwilfish, Minimize!"

"We shall hit it with Fury Swipes!" responded Miror B. "No Poison Point to fear from it!"

This time, both Ludicolo closed in on Qwilfish, who had shrunk itself down, and was deftly evading the repeated swipes. Wes smirked- they were preoccupied with trying to hit Qwilfish, and were both in one place- now was his chance! "Now! Umbreon, blast them with Toxic!" commanded Wes.

"UMBREON!" Umbreon shouted, launching a blast of vile purple liquid from his mouth. The move washed over both Ludicolo (and Qwilfish, but the Water/Poison-type was completely unaffected), and now their movements were a little more sluggish.

"Now to get rid of that Leech Seed," decided Wes, holding out a Poké Ball. "Come back now, Qwilfish!" he stated. Once he withdrew Qwilfish, he threw another ball. "Espeon!" he exclaimed as the Psychic-type materialized. "Use Reflect! Umbreon, Confuse Ray!"

"Water Gun now!" Miror B. sang.

The fight slowly started to tip in Wes's favor now. Umbreon's Confuse Ray had the Ludicolo duo completely disoriented, and between that and the effects of Toxic, Rain Dish wasn't cutting the mustard anymore. After a few simple Confusion and Bite attacks from Espeon and Umbreon, both Ludicolo fainted.

"Return now, darlings!" Miror B. said, producing the Poké Balls from his afro to withdraw the Ludicolo. "Now, you two, follow up on that lovely opening act!" he added, which was the cue for his other two Ludicolo to dance their way into battle. Only these Ludicolo moved way faster than the previous two, as they also had Swift Swim. The rain stopped at one point, but the Water/Grass-types were quick to remedy this with more Rain Dancing. Umbreon managed to badly poison one with Toxic, but they were too fast for him or Espeon to get much else done.

"OK, Espeon, Umbreon, come back now," said Wes, withdrawing both of his old friends, before throwing two more balls. "Dunsparce, Qwilfish, back out again!" he called out. "Qwilfish, Shadow Rush! Dunsparce, Glare!"

As Wes had hoped, Qwilfish's Swift Swim allowed him to keep up with the Ludicolo and land some powerful Shadow Rushes and Poison Stings. Dunsparce had to give it several tries, but managed to paralyze them both with Glare.

"Now!" Wes grinned. "Double Shadow Rush!"

"Sparce!"

"Qwil!"

The pair of Pokémon charged forward once more, and to Wes's delight, the other four Ludicolo fell. "Hah!" Wes grinned as Miror B. withdrew his last two Ludicolo. "What do you say to that, Miror B.?" he asked.

But Miror B. hadn't yet lost his manic grin. "Oh, oh, oh!" he sang. "You think you've won, but that's not so! Jumping to conclusions is a big no-no!" As he sang, he produced a fifth Poké Ball from his afro. "My secret weapon I've yet to show!" he sang. "A rock-solid fighter you've yet to know! This fight's not over yet! And so…" he brought back his arm. "Let the final dance begin! Now go…" And he threw the ball. "Attack them now, my Sudowoodo!" he finished.

The ball split open, revealing what appeared to be some kind of tree. At the very least, with his thin, tree-trunk-like body and branch-like arms, he vaguely resembled one. His spherical green fingers fabulously failed at feigning foliage. There was also a vicious look in his beady eyes that unnerved even Wes, who leaned towards Rui. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess…" he began.

Rui nodded, confirming Wes's suspicions. "Shadow Pokémon," she replied.

"Fuohoho! Is it any wonder we're not at liberty to keep her at liberty?" chuckled Miror B. "That sort of ability just will not do, oh, no, it just will not do. Now," he added. "Let's show them your Shadow Rush!" he commanded.

"Woodo!" bellowed Sudowoodo, charging fearlessly through the rain. Wes registered the fact that Sudowoodo was braving the rain like this- normally a Sudowoodo wouldn't dare set foot into the pouring rain, but this one seemed not to care. About that or anything other than fighting, honestly. The Rock-type slammed into Qwilfish, and to Wes's irritation, had knocked him out.

"Qwilfish, return!" said Wes, withdrawing the Water/Poison-type. He then threw another Poké Ball. "Go! Umbreon!" he added, sending out the Dark-type. "Use Confuse Ray! Dunsparce, Glare attack!"

"We'll go for Shadow Rush once again!" sang Miror B.

But as Sudowoodo charged forward, he was stopped in his tracks by Dunsparce's Glare, and then Umbreon's Confuse Ray disoriented him.

"Now! Bite and Take Down!" ordered Wes.

"No, no! Use Low Kick!" Miror B. exclaimed.

Sudowoodo was in no condition to obey Miror B.'s order, however, between the paralysis and the confusion. He couldn't defend against Dunsparce and Umbreon's attacks, nor against the single Great Ball Wes threw at him.

Miror B. looked horrified as Sudowoodo was transferred to Wes PC Storage System account, and his music came to a stop. "I can't keep up with the tempo!" he lamented. "Oh, no, no, what a no-no!"

"It's over," grinned Rui. "Now where's Plusle?"

Miror B. did not answer. "How, how, how dare you!" he exclaimed. "Don't you dare think you'll get away with your latest outrage! One of these days, I will take great pleasure in kicking you about with my elegant dance steps!"

"Yeah, we'll just see about that," smirked Wes.

"Oh," added Miror B. "And I'm not giving up on our Shadow Pokémon plan!" He sent out all four of his Ludicolo again. "Let's go! Escape!" he declared, leading the way in running out of the room in great haste. Wes had half a mind to run after him, but Rui stopped him.

"Wes!" Rui whispered. "Did you hear those cries?"

Wes kept quiet and listened. Indeed, a cry of "Plaa plaa!" could be heard from somewhere. "It must be Plusle!" Wes realized.

The search didn't take them very long. Behind Miror B.'s stage there was a metal door. To Wes's surprise and satisfaction, the door was not locked, so he and Rui could slide it open. Only a grey binder sat on the floor inside… as well as a small yellow and red Pokémon, sitting in the light of several spotlights. "Is that-" Rui began.

"That's Plusle, alright," smiled Wes as he approached the small Electric-type, who looked happy to see Wes.

"Plaa! Plaa plaa!" Plusle cheered as Wes drew nearer.

And then, heavy footsteps could be hard. Wes tensed up, but relaxed almost immediately as a voice sounded. "Wes! Plusle!" It was Duking, followed by Silva, as they raced into the room, Duking trying to catch his breath. "Wes… you're safe! Oh! And Plusle!" he added, turning to his beloved Pokémon, who jumped into Duking's arms. Wes smiled as a tearful Duking hugged Plusle. "I'm so glad you're safe, Plusle!"

"I'm afraid Miror B. got away," Wes reported. "But things should return to normal around here now."

"Hey- listen to this," Rui said. She was reading the contents of the grey binder, entitled "Ein File P". "The heading says 'Purification of Pokémon'. Listen, listen… 'Shadow Pokémon are fighting machines created by closing the door to their hearts. The process of restoring a Shadow Pokémon back to its original state is known as purification. Exactly how a Shadow Pokémon is purified is unclear, but there appear to be several causes. We must eliminate reaction to these factors, and create Shadow Pokémon that will never revert back to their original, purified forms. Shadow Pokémon Lab, Chief Ein."

"So they can be purified," Wes murmured. "We got to find out how this can be done."

"Agreed," nodded Duking.

"Duking," sighed Silva. "I… I'm sorry. Sorry I blew up at you… and tried to sabotage the colosseum… I… I didn't realize they'd taken Plusle, that your hands were tied like this…"

"Forget it, Silva," Duking replied. "We're all unharmed. That's good enough. I should've been honest with you from the start… I just knew that if I told you about Plusle, you'd run off and try to storm the building yourself… which you did anyway," he finished sheepishly. "But yes- even that Miror B.'s been driven out, thanks to Wes."

"Plaa! Plaa!" Plusle added, a small rumbling sound emanating from her stomach.

"Heh, I bet you're hungry, huh, Plusle?" chuckled Duking. "OK, everyone. Let's quit this moldy cavern, and quick!"


	12. Chapter 12: On the Plusle Side

On the way out of the cave, Wes had taken the opportunity to deposit Qwilfish in the PC. After giving the matter some thought, he also switched Dunsparce and Furret once again. He did like Dunsparce, but Furret had been previously owned by Cail, and Wes liked having such a reminder of his old friend.

That evening, after Duking had treated all of them to a delicious dinner, they met in the living room of Duking's house. "Wes," Duking addressed the ex-Snagger. "We owe you a great deal. I can't thank you enough."

"It was nothing," Wes replied. "We did what needed done, you know?"

"It wasn't nothing," Duking replied, shaking his head. "If you were any later, they could've turned Plusle into a Shadow Pokémon. Ugh… what a horrible thought…"

"But everything's fine now, papa!" Marcia said with a smile. "And Plusle's fine, too!"

"Plaa! Plaa!" agreed Plusle, before dashing over to Wes, hopping in place in front of him. "Plaa! Plaa plaa plaaaa!" Plusle exclaimed.

"Hm?" said Duking. "Plusle, what's up?" In response, Plusle dashed in circles around Wes, and Duking seemed to get it. "…Oh," he nodded. "You want to… OK. I understand," he conceded.

"What-" began Wes.

"Wes," said Duking. "Could you take my Plusle with you?"

"Take Plusle with me?" repeated Wes, looking down at the eager, energetic Electric-type. "You sure?"

"Positive," smiled Duking. "Plusle seems to want to help you, too. I'll miss her, but at least she'll be in your capable hands rather than in Miror B.'s dastardly hands. And I know Plusle wouldn't want to let those criminals get away with it… You've become an amazing Trainer, Wes," said Duking. "I've never made much progress training Plusle, myself. She doesn't even know any attacking moves other than Quick Attack. But with you, I'm sure she'll become amazingly strong, and able to really help out in the fight against this Shadow Pokémon plan."

"Well, how can I say no?" Wes grinned. "Plusle, welcome aboard," he said to the Cheering Pokémon, who, well, cheered loudly in response.

"Wes," Duking said as he handed the ex-Snagger Plusle's Poké Ball. "I'm counting on you."

Wes nodded. "I won't let you down, Duking," he responded, holding out the Poké Ball. "Plusle, return," he added, smiling as the recall beam pulled his newest Pokémon into the sphere.

"That's awesome!" smiled Rui. "We've got a brave new addition to our team!"

"I intend to investigate the organization behind Miror B.," stated Duking. "As soon as I discover anything, I'll be in touch."

"One of the guys in that building let slip a name or something- Cipher," Wes reported. "I'm assuming that's what the organization is called."

Duking nodded. "Thank you," he said to Wes. "Now… it's getting pretty late. I'd refer you to the local hotel, but it's notoriously overpriced, and there's no Pokémon Center in this town, so you two are welcome to stay the night.

And so they stayed the night at Duking's house. The next morning, Duking served a delicious breakfast, asked Wes for his P*DA number so as to be able to send him email, and saw them off.

"So, where to next?" asked Wes. "We don't have very many leads."

"Yeah, that's true," nodded Rui. "Well, first, I'm thinking the Outskirt Stand."

"Good idea," Wes nodded back. "I think I'm running low on Poké Balls. I really lucked out with a lot of the Shadow Pokémon thus far, in that they didn't take many Poké Balls to Snag…"

As they continued to discuss their next move, they walked near a white building on the edge of town. Only now, standing before it, was a pink-haired elderly woman. Her sunglass lenses each had a large yellow star on them.

"Ahhh," she remarked. "I might be imagining it, but the town's air feels somewhat less dirty… Ah, Wes," she added, catching the Trainer's attention.

"Hey," Wes grinned. "Fateen, good to see you again."

"Oh, you know Fateen?" said Rui. "I met her the other day, before the kidnapping! She told me I was in for unexpected adventure and… uh…" Rui blushed and trailed away there.

Fateen smiled. "Romance, dearie. Unexpected adventure and romance. But as I was saying, all is not well," she continued. "Though the town's air feels less dirty, not all is well. I can feel the presence of dark auras coming from Shadow Pokémon."

"You still got it," grinned Wes. "Nothing escapes your notice, Fateen."

"Ah, Wes, you ought to know by now," she smirked. "There is but nothing that eludes the notice of my fortune telling." She paused to chuckle, while giving the still-blushing Rui a significant glance from behind her star-spangled shades. "Now, the key to freeing Pokémon from this dark aura… it is in the north."

"The north?" Wes repeated.

"Up north…" murmured Rui. "That's where my grandparents live- OH!" she exclaimed. "My grandparents! Wes, I was headed up to Agate Village to visit my grandparents in the first place!" she said.

Fateen chuckled again. "That being north may be no mere coincidence," she said. "Your answer may lie there."

Rui nodded. "My grandpa used to be a famous Trainer in his youth. He and Grandma actually moved to Orre and changed their names just so they could retire in peace. But yeah- maybe Grandpa knows something about that! Wes, after you buy more Poké Balls, let's go see him!"

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Wes.

Their first stop was the Outskirt Stand. The man behind the counter still sold Poké Balls, and this time Wes loaded up on a large stash of Great Balls. After that, they headed north, to a surprisingly lush, green part of Orre.

Agate Village was gorgeous. Lush, green hills; clear sparkling rivers flowing throughout; and a single massive tree standing tall, high above the rest of the town.

"Here we are," Rui smiled as she and Wes crossed the bridge leading into town. "This is where my grandparents live." She took a deep breath. "Ahhh… The air tastes a lot different here. It's been so long! Let's go, Wes- I bet they're worried, I was supposed to get there the other day!"

"That'd do it," Wes agreed. "Where do they live?"

Rui smiled. "See that really huge tree?" she asked.

"Hard to miss it," Wes smiled back. "Their house is near there?"

"Their house _is_ there," Rui replied. "They carved their house out of that tree."

"…Whoa," said Wes. "This I've got to see."

"Then let's go," Rui smiled, leading the way for once.

As they ascended the hills of Agate, Wes looked around. He found several unused Ultra Balls lying around on the ground, and so claimed them for himself. The elderly folks around Agate Village all seemed to know and like Rui. Several of them even made teasing remarks about her and Wes being a couple, which Rui seemed strangely disinclined to respond to. Wes even found a discarded Experience Share lying on the ground. He stopped Rui so he could send out Plusle and fit the device to her. The device still seemed functional, and Wes knew that it would help her get stronger without needing to battle just yet.

Finally, they came to the large tree, and up close, Wes could indeed see that at house had been carved into it. "That is just cool right there," Wes stated.

"Yeah, it really is," replied Rui. "Grandpa had his Sceptile and Kingler help carve it out, and Grandma's Starmie helped as well. C'mon, let's go inside, they're probably waiting for me," she smiled, leading Wes in through the door.

In the kitchen of the literal treehouse, Wes saw an elderly couple sitting at the table. Rui ran up to them. "Grandpa A- I mean, Eagun! Grandma Beluh! I missed you!"

The couple perked up as they saw Rui. "Ah, Rui!" Beluh greeted her. "Welcome, welcome! We heard you were coming, but then you didn't show up. We were so worried about you, dear."

"Yes, you're finally here," added Eagun. "What held you up?"

"Oh, it was the worst!" Rui replied. "On the way here, I was kidnapped! Luckily, Wes here happened to be there, and he saved me."

"That's horrible!" Beluh exclaimed.

"Wes, was it?" Eagun said to Wes. "Thanks so much for saving our granddaughter."

"No problem, sir," replied Wes.

"Hmm…" murmured Eagun. "But why would anyone want to harm Rui?"

"I know why," Rui replied grimly. "It's because I can see these bizarre Pokémon. Shadow Pokémon- Pokémon that have been turned into fighting machines with hearts of darkness."

"Shadow Pokémon?!" Eagun exclaimed, aghast. "What on earth is that?"

Beluh reached across the table and slapped Eagun upside the head. "She just told you, idiot," she said.

At that moment, however, the front door flew open, and a man came running in. He was older than Wes, but compared to the overall population of the village, he was downright young. "Help!" he gasped. "There's trouble! Eagun, it's a serious situation!" He paused to catch his breath. "Some outsiders went into the Relic Forest!"

"What?!" Eagun exclaimed, leaping to his feet with remarkable speed for someone his age. "Who were they?"

"I… I don't know," the man replied. "They shoved me aside and-"

"That's enough talk!" interrupted Eagun. "It can wait! I'm off! Pikachu!" he called into the other room.

In response, a small yellow rodent dashed into the kitchen. "Pika pi?" it said to Eagun.

"There's trouble at the Relic Forest, buddy," Eagun said. "Come on!"

"Pika!" nodded Pikachu, climbing up onto Eagun's shoulder, at which point Eagun dashed out of the house, the younger man following behind.

Beluh shook her head. "Outsiders fouling the Relic Forest… that mustn't happen. But I worry for my husband even more. I'd go after him on my bike… IF I STILL _HAD_ ONE!" she bellowed after Eagun. "Actually, dear, I did get a new one," she added to Rui. "I just like reminding your grandfather every so often… but Rui, you and your friend, please, go after him!"

Rui nodded. "Got it," she said. "Wes, come on!" she added, leading the way out of the house.


	13. Chapter 13: Snag it in Agate

Rui led the way down the hills, past a Pokémon Center, and into a small valley where there ran a little creek. It was a rather nice area, and it also led to a tunnel carved into the rock. It was this tunnel they walked into, only to see a Cipher Peon standing inside. Wes's sense of foreboding increased as she sent out her Spheal and Carvanha, and he responded by sending out Furret and Makuhita, who made short work of her Water-types, Furret by using Strength on Carvanha, and Makuhita by using Vital Throw on Spheal. This was followed by a battle against another Cipher Peon- this one had a Shroomish and a Cacnea, so Wes decided to use Espeon and Umbreon. He had nothing with a type advantage, so he figured his strongest partners were the best bet. And indeed they were- Confusion and Helping Hand-boosted Bites did the trick. Finally, a third Peon dropped down from the ceiling, to general shock and surprise. She sent out a Baltoy and a Ralts, the former of which was knocked out with just two hits of Croconaw's Surf, and the latter of which was knocked out with a few hits of Umbreon's Bite. After this, she sent out a Kirlia, which fell to a Bite from each of its adversaries.

Once the three guards were defeated, they finally got through to the other end of the tunnel, which came out in a lush green forest. They were walking on a stone pathway towards an odd stone structure. The young man from before was panicking. "What shall we do?" he was saying. "Eagun's in a heap of trouble! He might be the mythical Trainer, but he's pushing his luck if he thinks he can battle at his age!"

"You!" Eagun was saying to yet another Cipher Peon, as they stood next to the odd stone structure. "Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu added, sparks flying from his cheeks.

"Although you may ask why we're here," responded the Peon, "we simply cannot answer that. I see you are a senior citizen, but nevertheless, I cannot allow you to interfere with our affairs."

Eagun shook his head. "You're the ones interfering! Shady creeps like you, I'll personally run out!"

"Ahahah," chuckled the intruder. "Now, now. Someone so old shouldn't overdo it."

"Old nothing!" retorted Eagun. "Don't take me for a fool! I'll have you know I was once hailed as the most powerful Trainer! And that's not all- I have here a comrade with whom I've been through thick and thin! The first Pokémon I got, who's been with me ever since!" He turned to face the rodent on his shoulder. "OK, Pikachu," said Eagun. "We haven't battled this much in a while. Let's give it our all!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded, jumping down and assuming a battle pose, his cheeks continuing to spark.

"Heh," smirked the Peon. "You're making a mistake. You shall soon see why I, Skrub, was chosen to head this operation." And he threw a Poké Ball. "Hitmontop, go!" he declared.

Rui gasped. "Grandpa, be careful!" she called to Eagun. "That Hitmontop- that's one of those Shadow Pokémon I was talking about!"

Eagun nodded. "OK! Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he charged forward, striking Hitmontop at blistering speeds.

Skrub simply smirked. "Use Shadow Rush," he said.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Eagun exclaimed, but before Pikachu could comply, Hitmontop had executed the harsh tackling move. To general astonishment, this knocked Pikachu out in a single hit.

"Grandpa, did you bring any more of your Pokémon?" asked Rui.

"No," sighed Eagun as he scooped up Pikachu in his arms. "Darn it… Swellow would've been perfect here, too…"

"Heh… didn't I just say?" smirked Skrub as he withdrew Hitmontop. "An old man shouldn't overdo it."

Rui ran over to Skrub, practically dragging Wes along with her. "How dare you!" she exclaimed to Skrub. "You'll never get away with this!"

"Oh, but I will," smirked Skrub. "Ah, but in the meantime, here's someone who may show me a more… enjoyable time," he added.

"Eww!" Rui exclaimed. This prompted Wes to step in.

"Yeah, you're not getting away with this," Wes said, producing a pair of Poké Balls. "You gonna apologize to her?"

"I apologize to no one," Skrub retorted. "So you're fighting me next, eh? Very well. En garde!" With that, he threw two Poké Balls, unleashing a Wynaut and a Geodude.

"Let's go!" Wes retorted, sending out Croconaw and Furret. "Croconaw, Surf! Furret, Strength!"

"Wynaut, Counter!" commanded Skrub. "Geodude, Defense Curl!"

The Surf washed over both Wynaut and Geodude, and while it knocked out Geodude, it didn't knock out Wynaut, and neither did the Strength, which Wynaut returned with twice the power. Furret wasn't knocked out, but she didn't look too hot, either. Skrub sent out a Clamperl after withdrawing Geodude. Croconaw then attacked Wynaut with Bite, knocking it out, while Furret repeated Strength against Clamperl. Clamperl retaliated with a Waterfall attack, at which point Furret was starting to look really worn out.

"Alright, Furret, come back now," Wes stated, withdrawing the Normal-type before throwing another ball. "Go… Plusle!" he exclaimed to general surprise as the Cheering Pokémon materialized.

"Hah!" smirked Skrub. "Clamperl, Waterfall once more! And now," he added, throwing another Poké Ball. "Hitmontop!" he exclaimed as his Shadow Hitmontop reappeared. "Use Shadow Rush!"

"Plusle! Helping Hand!" ordered Wes. "Croconaw, Surf!"

"Plaa-haa-haaaaa!" Plusle cheered, transferring some power to Croconaw as it summoned a huge tidal wave. The wave crashed down onto both Hitmontop and Clamperl, and quite shockingly, knocked out the latter despite the bad type matchup.

"Tch," grunted Skrub as he withdrew Clamperl. "Well, it's up to-"

"HITMONTOP HITMONTOP HITMONTOP!" Hitmontop bellowed, spinning madly.

"It's in Hyper Mode!" Rui exclaimed. "Wes!"

"I'm on it!" Wes nodded. "Plusle, Thunder Wave! Croconaw, Shadow Rush!"

"Plaaaaa haaaaaaaa!" Plusle exclaimed, firing a weak jolt of electricity which paralyzed Hitmontop. It stood on its head, dazed for a moment, before getting slammed into by Croconaw. It struggled to get back up after this, which Wes took as an opportunity to heave a Great Ball at it. And between the heavy damage Hitmontop took, on top of the paralysis Plusle inflicted upon it, that was all Wes needed to Snag it.

"Gah…" sighed Skrub. "My instructions were to capture Celebi and then destroy the Relic Stone… but matters have not gone according to plan."

"Celebi?" repeated Rui.

Skrub wasn't listening. He seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else at this point. "I'll have to inform Dakim immediately… He should be at Mt. Battle by now…" With that, he dashed away, apparently unaware of the vital information he let slip. Indeed, as he ran, he didn't seem to notice that he'd left a grey binder on the ground- another Ein File, Wes supposed.

"Grandpa!" Rui said to Eagun. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," nodded Eagun. "But Pikachu…"

"Pi… Pika…" Pikachu replied, still exhausted from fighting Hitmontop.

"You're safe… that's good," Eagun smiled. "You battled with honor, old friend. If your opponent was an ordinary Pokémon, you would've won, no doubt. So," he added. "That was a Shadow Pokémon, huh?" He turned to Wes and Rui. "Rui, Wes… thank you both for helping us. We should return home for the time being."

"Sounds like a plan," Rui agreed, picking up the Ein File before they filed out of the Relic Forest.

Back at the house, Beluh seemed irritated with Eagun's rashness, but mostly relieved that he was OK. "You had me so worried!" she half-scolded him. "Don't do anything so rash again!"

"Heh, I'm sorry, dear," Eagun said sheepishly. "But I couldn't very well let them have their way, now could we, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" agreed Pikachu, already sounding much better.

"Those crooks," scowled Eagun. "They said something about capturing Celebi and destroying the Relic Stone… Why? Maybe there's some sort of connection between Celebi and Shadow Pokémon?"

"Ooh, that could be," Rui murmured. "They seem to be all about eliminating anything that could threaten their Shadow Pokémon plan, which includes any means of purifying them… or identifying them," she added quietly with a shudder. But- Grandpa, we came here because we figured you'd know something about it!" she added.

"Hm," sighed Eagun. "Sorry to disappoint… Oh!" he exclaimed, turning to Beluh. "Dear, didn't we have a stone tablet? It had something about the Relic Stone carved into it, as I recall."

"Yes, yes, that's right," nodded Beluh. "We do have such a stone tablet! Where could I have put it… It's probably upstairs. I'll go look- please be patient, this could take time," she added, before standing up and ascending the nearby flight of stairs."

"While she's doing that," Eagun said, "you two might try getting more information on Celebi. I recommend going to visit Senilor- he lives just down the hill near the Pokémon Mart. He's the authority on Celebi… when he remembers about it, anyway."

"Sounds promising," Wes replied dryly.

"C'mon, Wes," Rui said, taking his hand and leading the way out. Rui blushed slightly once she realized she'd taken Wes's hand, but neither she nor Wes let go. "I- I know which house is Senilor's," she stammered, once they were outside.

Sure enough, a short walk later, Wes and Rui entered a house overlooking a small cliff. A relatively younger man greeted them at the door. "Hello?" he greeted them. "Oh- Rui, good to see you again," he smiled.

"Hi," Rui replied. "This is Wes."

"Good to meet you," Wes added. "We're here to see Senilor."

"Ah, you want to see my dad," nodded the man. "Just a little warning, he's been getting a little forgetful as of late. He may not be very much help to you."

"Wobbuffet!" added a blue bloblike Pokémon who peeked out from inside the house.

"That's alright," Rui replied. "We'll give it a try anyway."

Senilor was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV, when Wes and Rui came in. "Mr. Senilor?" said Rui.

Senilor turned to look. "Ah, hello," he greeted Rui. "And who are- no, no, don't tell me! You're Eagun's beloved… Torchic? No, no… So why did you say you were?" he asked.

"We didn't," Wes replied. "I'm Wes. This is Rui. We came here because we heard you might know something about Celebi?"

Senilor perked up at once. "Celebi?" he repeated. "No problem! Me, Professor Oak, forget something as important as Celebi? Not likely!

"Oh, yeah, but his name is fair game, it seems," Wes muttered to himself.

"So!" Senilor said. "First, we start with the Relic Stone in the Relic Forest. According to ancient lore, the Relic Stone is said to hold the power of time travel for Celebi, said to be the very source of Celebi's fantastic powers! And this power, this mystical power is said to revive the most pleasant, most enjoyable memories of Pokémon. Now if only it worked to bring back the memories of my youth… but in any case, to meet Celebi directly, a Time Flute must be used. Play a tune on a Time Flute in the presence of the Relic Stone, and you summon Celebi directly to the Relic Forest. And Celebi will surely cause darkness to flee from the hearts of any Pokémon!" Wes and Rui exchanged significant glances at this revelation.

That seemed to be all the information Senilor had for them, for he then returned to mistaking them for Torchic, which they took as their cue to leave. "So you think it's true?" Rui asked Wes. "Celebi causing darkness to flee from the hearts of Pokémon?"

"It'd certainly explain why Cipher's after Celebi," agreed Wes. "And they want the Relic Stone destroyed- if it's supposed to be the source of Celebi's power, then maybe it too can expel darkness from Pokémon's hearts."

"That adds up, alright," nodded Rui. "C'mon," she added, for they had arrived back at the literal treehouse. "Let's see if Grandma found the tablet yet."

"Welcome back, you two," smiled Beluh as Wes and Rui walked inside. "I've finally found the Small Tablet."

"It's been passed down through our family over many generations," Eagun explained. "Go on, examine it." He handed Wes a rather small stone tablet with words carved into it.

Wes read the words. "'In Agate's mystic Relic, Celebi's power shelters,'" he read. "'A heart imprisoned by shadows, its last door shall be opened by the power within.'"

"So you see, the Relic Stone must have some effect on Shadow Pokémon!" Eagun stated excitedly. "You two should figure this out for yourselves."

"Thanks, Grandpa, Grandma," smiled Rui.

"Yeah, thanks," agreed Wes. "In fact, Rui, let's go back to the Relic Forest now, see what happens."

They exited the tree, swung by the Pokémon Center so Wes could heal his Pokémon, and then went back through the tunnel, and were back in the Relic Forest. "Oh, yeah!" Rui exclaimed, looking down at the Ein File she'd been holding this whole time. "That Skrub guy dropped this before he left! Lemme see… Ein File C… And the heading says 'Celebi's Power'. Let's see… 'The purification of Shadow Pokémon has several factors. Celebi appears to have the power to boost the purification process. If a Shadow Pokémon encounters a Celebi, it recalls how its heart was before being closed, and reverts to its original form. The Relic Stone of Agate Village also appears to have the power to complete the purification process. These factors must be eliminated if our Shadow Pokémon Plan is to succeed. Shadow Pokémon Lab, Chief Ein.' Wes!" Rui exclaimed excitedly. "This confirms what we've been figuring out! If your Shadow Pokémon have had their hearts loosened enough, this… this'll open them once and for all! Wes, send out Croconaw, Makuhita, and Furret," she urged him.

"Alright," Wes agreed. He threw the three Poké Balls, sending out the trio of Shadow Pokémon, who glared at their surroundings. "How are their auras looking, Rui?"

"Smaller than ever before," smiled Rui. "Almost nonexistent. Wes, I… I think they're ready."

"Well, let's try it out," nodded Wes. "Furret, you first. Stand next to that rock."

"Furr…" growled Furret, but she did as instructed. As she neared the rock, however, green streaks of energy flew out of the stone, and swirled all around Furret. Wisps of purple-black energy flew off of Furret, and in one final burst, the energy flew away from it. Furret looked around and blinked, as though seeing the world properly again for the first time.

"The aura… it's gone completely," smiled Rui. "I… I think we did it, Wes!"

"Furret?" Furret murmured, looking up at Wes.

"Hi, Furret," Wes smiled. "How are you doing?"

At that moment, Furret sprang up, and the Long Body Pokémon coiled her, well, long body, around Wes, hugging him affectionately. "Furret fur!" she replied sweetly.

"Aw, so cute!" smiled Rui. "And I think Furret's looking a little stronger, too, don't you?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah," nodded Wes. "Lemme check my P*DA… Yeah, apparently, her power level is much higher now, and instead of Shadow Rush, she now knows how to use Iron Tail. OK," he added, turning to the two other Shadow Pokémon. "Makuhita, Croconaw, now it's your turn.

"Maku…" growled Makuhita, warily approaching the giant stone pillar, with Croconaw by his side. And then, as they drew near, the same thing happened with them as what happened with Furret- the green energy swirled around them, drawing out the last remnants of darkness what that kept their hearts shut. And Wes watched as his Makuhita and Croconaw glanced around in mild surprise, their expressions much lighter, and according to Rui, their dark auras completely extinguished.

"They got stronger, too," Wes noted, eyeing his P*DA. "And they both lost Shadow Rush as well- Makuhita learned Foresight, and Croconaw got Rain Dance… Oh, and Makuhita even learned Smelling Salts. And- WHOA!" Wes exclaimed, for at that moment, something happened with both Makuhita and Croconaw that most certainly didn't happen with Furret- both Pokémon were now aglow with bright blue-white energy! "They… They're…"

"They're evolving!" Rui exclaimed.

Sure enough, both Pokémon's glowing forms proceeded to change shape. Croconaw got taller, the red ridges grew more jagged, its tail got longer, and its snout got larger. Meanwhile, Makuhita grew taller, but mostly wider, and its perpetual fists finally unfurled into massive, three-fingered hands. The transformations completed themselves at long last, and the newly-evolved Pokémon cried out;

"FERALIGATOOOOOR!"

"HARIIIIIYAMA!"

Wes smiled proudly, and his Feraligatr and Hariyama smiled back at him. They knew, they knew as Furret knew, that Wes was the one who did this, who unlocked their hearts, who turned them back from the soulless fighting machines they had been forced to become. Furret climbed down off of Wes, just in time for Feraligatr and Hariyama to pull him into grateful yet tight hugs. Wes was grateful as well- grateful they were able to show enough restraint to not crush his bones.

The time soon came for them to exit the forest. As they turned to leave, however, a simple tune chimed from Wes's pocket. "Hey, that's my ringtone," he said, as he pulled out his P*DA. "I got an email."

"It might be Duking with some news," said Rui. "Let's check it out."

Wes opened up his P*DA, and indeed, he did have a new email. "OK, that's pretty ominous," he frowned. "Subject line says 'EMERGENCY!', all caps, with three exclamation marks. Lemme see…" And he opened up the email. "Yeesh… apparently, Mt. Battle is under attack by a mysterious group of thugs. They think it might have something to do with Cipher."

"Mt. Battle…" Rui murmured. "Grandpa told me about that place. It's that huge mountain in the north. We should be able to see it once we exit town. Come on, let's go!"


	14. Chapter 14: Entei At Your Own Risk

After a good while of riding, Wes and Rui finally pulled up to the foot of Mt. Battle. A tall volcano that stretched so far into the sky its peak couldn't be seen because of the clouds, and as Wes could see, there was a narrow pathway leading up the mountain, suspended in midair by numerous rotors and hover devices, with about a hundred circular platforms.

At the foot, however, there was a moderately-sized building, and so it was through that door Wes and Rui entered. The lobby seemed to contain a Pokémon Center as well as a small shop. But it was the receptionist Wes headed towards.

"No!" the receptionist replied, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I can't allow you in. A number of thugs have infiltrated Mt. Battle. It's far too dangerous."

"We know about the thugs," Wes replied. "My name is Wes, this is Rui. Duking sent us."

"Duking?" repeated the receptionist, sounding relieved. "Oh, thank Mew! You must be here to save us! You see, I'm the one who contacted Duking for help. I didn't think help would arrive so quickly!"

"We lucked out," Wes replied. "We happened to not be too far from here when Duking contacted us."

"Alright, then, go on through," nodded the receptionist, standing aside to reveal a pair of double doors. She pressed a button to slide them open. "But please… be careful. The power of their Pokémon, it's… it's not normal." Wes nodded, and led the way inside.

Sure enough, a number of Cipher minions lay ahead of them, one on each platform. Wes ended up having to battle his way past each and every one of them. Which was fine with him- now that Furret, Hariyama, and Feraligatr were no longer Shadow Pokémon, he was eager to test their newfound skill. And they were certainly vastly improved. The loss of Shadow Rush wasn't a detriment by any means. Furret's Iron Tail helped out a great deal. Feraligatr's Rain Dance powered up its Surf. Hariyama's Foresight didn't help it out much, but its overall power was a vast improvement over Makuhita's. Moreover, as they ascended, Espeon managed to learn Psybeam at around the fifth platform. Wes was ecstatic- he'd been looking forward to Espeon learning a more powerful Psychic move. Also, though Wes kept looking at Rui with each new Pokémon sent out, she could see no Shadow Pokémon among those held by their opponents.

Nine Trainers later, they walked up to the tenth platform, handily marked by a giant red number 10 painted on the platform. Even more distinct, however, was the muscular man standing on the platform, towering over a red-haired man who looked positively puny in comparison. This muscular man was clad entirely in white. He wore nothing on his gigantic feet, he had big, spiky red hair, and his voice was a loud, intimidating one.

"Fine!" he was exclaiming to the smaller man. "After all the persuading I did, you still won't hand it over?"

The other man, scared as he clearly was, still managed to stay defiant. "N-no," he managed. "No, I won't."

"Humph," huffed the hulking giant of a man. "This is what happens to stubborn oafs who don't do as I say!" Rui stifled a gasp as the muscular man threw a punch, knocking the other guy to the floor- thankfully not off the platform, as it hovered high above a gorge!

"Y-you treacherous swine…" gasped the fallen man. "H-how could you refuse to battle? Urrrgh…"

The buff man let out a hearty laugh. "Daahahahah! Treacherous? You didn't really think that a puny little Wurmple like you could win? All you had to do was hand over the Time Flute without making a fuss- it's your own fault for getting hurt! Since you're not cooperating, I have no choice but to haul you off to Ein's Lab."

"Time Flute?!" Rui exclaimed. She gasped and covered her mouth, but the damage had been done- the man wheeled around and noticed her and Wes for the first time. They could now see that the man wore his Poké Balls on a chain around his neck.

"Hm?" the man grunted. "Who are you? What were my underlings doing?"

"Mostly getting their asses kicked," smirked Wes.

"Daahahahahah!" the man laughed in response to this. "I like that! But that outfit… Yes, it fits the description… you must be the troublemaker who messed with Skrub in Celebi's forest!"

"Oh, I'm much more than a troublemaker," Wes said fearlessly.

"And now you've come to mess with me, the great Dakim!" declared the man, apparently named Dakim. "Don't make me laugh!" He stomped the platform with one of his huge feet as he plucked a pair of Poké Balls off of the chain around his neck. "I'll pound a lesson into your flesh and bones, so you'll never even think of bothering me again!" And he threw the balls. "Dakim calls Metang and Golem!" he bellowed.

In response, Wes threw two Poké Balls. "Feraligatr! Furret! Go!" he shouted. "Helping Hand and Surf!"

"Dahaha!" laughed Dakim. "Golem, Protect! Metang, Earthquake!"

Wes gritted his teeth- the souped-up Surf only struck Metang. Moreover, Metang shook the platform, which mercifully withstood the attack beautifully. Furret and Feraligatr both weren't quite as lucky, however, both of them looking rather rattled by the attack.

"Let's try it again!" Wes called out.

"Rock Throw and Metal Claw!" roared Dakim.

However, Dakim's commands did not come to fruition. Instead, Feraligatr's Surf wiped out both Golem, who was so massively weak to Water that nobody was surprised, and Metang, who had been previously weakened by the first Helping Hand-boosted Surf.

"Grrrr," Dakim growled, withdrawing his Pokémon. "This is but a mere warm-up! Dakim calls Marshtomp and Camerupt!" he bellowed, throwing two more Poké Balls. "Marshtomp, Protect! Camerupt, Earthquake!"

"Feraligatr, Surf!" called Wes. "Furret, Strength on Camerupt!"

Feraligatr started things off by summoning another tidal wave. Marshtomp and especially Camerupt were hit very hard by the attack, but they didn't collapse. However, when Camerupt unleashed Earthquake, while Marshtomp didn't faint, Feraligatr and Furret weren't so lucky. Wes scowled as he withdrew them both, eyeing up the competition. Marshtomp was still in great shape, of course, but that Surf had seriously weakened Camerupt. Had Furret managed to land that Strength, Camerupt might have fainted. Making his decision, Wes threw two more Poké Balls. "Go, Espeon! Go, Umbreon!" he called. "Use Secret Power on Camerupt and Psybeam on Marshtomp!"

"Earthquake and Protect again!" roared Dakim.

Marshtomp tried another Protect, but this one fizzled out almost immediately. Espeon hit it with a powerful Psybeam, which severely weakened it. Then, Camerupt, despite Dakim's hasty protests, unleashed the Earthquake. To Dakim's great frustration, the only Pokémon to get knocked out by this was Marshtomp, and moreover, Umbreon landed a powerful Secret Power, which was indeed the straw that broke the Camerupt's back.

"Gaaaah…" sighed Dakim as he withdrew Marshtomp and Camerupt. "You… I like you," he said to Wes. "You are no mere Wurmple. Therefore you deserve a taste of my secret weapon!" With that, he plucked an Ultra Ball off the chain around his neck. "Behold the raw power of my strongest Pokémon!" And he threw the ball. "Dakim calls... Entei!"

"Surely not-" Wes began, but as the Ultra Ball emptied its legendary contents onto the platform, he was cut short, for indeed, Dakim had just sent out a legendary Pokémon. The Entei gave a booming bark that seemed to shake the entire mountain.

"W-W-Wes?" squeaked Rui.

"Oh, don't tell me," murmured Wes, eyeing Entei warily. "It's not a Shadow Pokémon?"

"Yeah, it is," Rui replied shakily.

"Daahahahahah!" Dakim laughed. "Don't tell me you're going all spineless on me now!"

Wes looked resolute. "No way," he said to Dakim. "Espeon, Psybeam! Umbreon, Bite!"

"Daahahah! Entei! Fire Blast!" bellowed Dakim.

Espeon moved first, firing the rainbow-colored beam, but Entei seemed to simply shrug it off before retaliating with a huge five-point plume of flame. Espeon managed to duck out of the way, but Umbreon took the full force of the attack. Thankfully, he was still able to keep going, and so sank his teeth into the legendary Fire-type.

"Now! Shadow Rush!" ordered Dakim.

"Umbreon, get out of there!" Wes shouted, but too late- the powerful tackle sent Umbreon flying across the platform, collapsing in a heap at Wes's feet.

"Daahahah!" Dakim laughed- he was thoroughly enjoying himself. "You got any more?"

"Return, Umbreon," sighed Wes as he withdrew the Dark-type.

"Wes, what are you gonna do?" asked Rui. "Entei's too strong!"

Wes did not answer right away. He was thinking. "…There is one thing I think it's time to try," he said to Rui, taking a Poké Ball out of his trenchcoat pocket, and throwing it. "Let's do it! Plusle!" he shouted as the tiny Electric-type materialized. Dakim laughed his hardest yet at this.

"Daaaahahahahahah!" he guffawed. "This is the best you got? Entei, Fire Blast!"

"Plusle! Thunder Wave!" Wes ordered. "Espeon, Psybeam!"

Entei inhaled deeply, the flames already forming in its mouth, but Espeon and Plusle were quicker. The Fire-type found itself getting bombarded by Psybeam while the Thunder Wave locked up its muscles, rooting it to the spot. Unable to continue preparing the attack, the Fire Blast fizzled out.

"Now!" Wes exclaimed. "Use Helping Hand and Spark attack!"

Espeon transferred a mass of energy to Plusle, whose body was crackling with electricity. Plusle then charged forward and rammed into Entei. To Dakim's surprise, the boosted Electric move managed to force Entei to stagger backwards somewhat. "Entei, Shadow Rush!" Dakim ordered.

"Espeon, Reflect!" Wes called. "Plusle, Growl!"

"PLAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAA!" Plusle bellowed, visible soundwaves emanating from her mouth and washing over Entei. At the same time, Espeon cast up a protective wall of light. Between that and Plusle's Growl, Entei's Shadow Rush seemed almost comically weak. The Fire-type slammed into Plusle, but she had no problem getting back up.

"Alright!" grinned Wes. "Plusle, Helping Hand! Espeon, Psybeam!"

"Use Fire Blast!" Dakim shouted, but once again, the paralysis interfered. And what was more, now the powered-up Psybeam managed to confuse Entei. Now the legendary Pokémon was stumbling around as much as its paralysis would allow.

Wes decided it was time to give it a shot. He touched the cuff of the Snag Machine to the white button while picturing an Ultra Ball in his mind. And sure enough, one of the Ultra Balls he found in Agate Village appeared in his left hand. "Here we go!" he shouted, hurling the Snag Ball at Entei.

Dakim was stunned as the ball emitted a hand made of energy. The hand grabbed Entei and sucked it into the Ultra Ball, which fell down to the center of the platform. There was total silence as the ball rocked back and forth, very violently, as its occupant attempted to escape. Wes held his breath… and then the ball burst open, shards of Ultra Ball flying in every direction as Entei reappeared. "Grr," growled Dakim. "You try and steal the great Dakim's secret weapon?!" he roared. "Entei, Shadow Rush!"

"Let's try this again!" Wes declared, already throwing another converted Ultra Ball. As Entei lumbered forward, another energy hand wrapped around it and sucked it into the thrown ball. Once more, it rocked back and forth on the platform… and this time, it fell still.

There was a stunned silence as the Ultra Ball vanished, sending Wes's new Entei to the PC storage system. And not just from Dakim- Wes was understandably shocked that he'd managed to Snag an actual legendary Pokémon, let alone the fact that Cipher apparently had access to legendary Pokémon to turn into Shadow Pokémon in the first place.

"…Gwah!" Dakim finally exclaimed. "You meddlesome pest! The way you handled those Pokémon with your audacious skill… who _are_ you?"

"The name is Wes," smirked Wes.

At that moment, a Cipher Peon in a familiar grey uniform came running up. "Master Dakim!" exclaimed Skrub.

"Ah, Skrub," sighed Dakim. "You were hopelessly outclassed against him. You had zero chance of winning." He paused to give Wes a look that seemed almost akin to respect, before turning back to Skrub. "I'm pulling out for now. You go to Ein's Lab and help out there. And you," he added to Wes as Skrub nodded and ran off. "Like I said, I like you. So I give you a piece of free advice; this isn't over yet. Stronger Shadow Pokémon are being made even now. If you are serious about taking us on, you'd better get serious about training your Pokémon for our next meeting- because I will want another battle with you, for sure. Daahahah!" Then, he looked down at Wes and smiled. "The threat you pose to Cipher notwithstanding, I did enjoy our battle," he added. "Now, Dakim away!" And with a great leap, he actually jumped down to the platform marked with a red number 9. And from there, to the 8 platform, and then to the 7, and so forth, until he was making his way back through the lobby.

"…And I thought Miror B. was weird," said Wes. "Hey- what's this?" he added, picking up some sort of grey disc off the platform. "Dakim must have dropped it… It's not a TM, though. It just says 'F-Disk'."

"Never mind that- we gotta help this guy!" Rui declared, pointing at the man Dakim had punched out.

"Right!" Wes nodded, helping the man up. "Hey, you OK?" he asked

"Ow…" the man groaned. "That wasn't an experience I'd ever want to have again… yeah, I'm fine," he added. "Thanks for helping. Name's Vander- I'm an Area Leader here at Mt. Battle."

"I'm Wes," replied Wes.

"Rui," added Rui.

"Pleased to meet you both," Vander replied. "So… what exactly is even going on? These thugs came in, and their leader wanted me to hand over my… well, what even-"

"Well, basically, they're part of an organization called Cipher," explained Rui. "They've been artificially closing the doors to Pokémon's hearts to turn them into heartless fighting machines called Shadow Pokémon."

"Dakim said something about you having a Time Flute," Wes added. "And we've heard that the Time Flute can be used to summon Celebi. That's why they want it- they don't want Celebi to encounter Shadow Pokémon, because Celebi's power basically forces the Shadow Pokémon's hearts back open, purifying them. They already tried attacking the Relic Stone in Agate Village, but I stopped them there as well."

"Well, that explains a lot," nodded Vander. "That Dakim guy, he was indeed after this." As he spoke, he drew what appeared to be a simple wooden flute from his backpack. It was a pale shade of green, looking almost like an onion. "I happened to stumble across this Time Flute while I was training. According to legend, it's good for summoning Celebi, but only once. If indeed they don't want Celebi to encounter Shadow Pokémon, then it's small wonder they're after this. If they're looking to trap Celebi, all they'd need to do is play a tune on this near the Relic Stone… But anyway, let's continue this discussion in the lobby," he added. "Still feeling a little shaky after that punch, and these platforms… not the best place to be if you're feeling shaky."

"I don't disagree," Wes conceded, turning to lead the way back down.

Once they were back in the lobby, Vander collapsed into a chair, sighing. "OK, yeah, definitely need to sit down for a while," he sighed. "But here- Wes, I want you to have this," he added, holding out the Time Flute.

"Wha- you want me to have the Time Flute?" Wes asked. "Are you sure?"

"You really want us to have something this precious?" added Rui, eyeing the Time Flute in something akin to awe.

"Sure I'm sure," grinned Vander. "I'd rather it be in your hands than have those crooks take it by force. If you can use it to save Shadow Pokémon, then by all means, I'll be glad it's getting put to good use."

"Fair enough," grinned Wes. "Rui, what say we give this a shot? We'll bring a bunch of Shadow Pokémon to the Relic Stone all at once, and see what Celebi can do."

"Sounds like a plan," smiled Rui.


	15. Chapter 15: No Time Flute like Now

The ride back to Agate Village was a lot nicer than the ride to Mt. Battle, mainly due to the lack of apprehension about fighting members of Cipher. Instead, Wes and Rui were rather eager to test out the Time Flute.

Once they crossed the bridge and started climbing the hill that was Agate Village, an old man approached them. "Oh! Rui!" he said. "We heard about the commotion at Mt. Battle. Eagun's worried about you- you should reassure him you're alright!"

Rui nodded. "Got it," she agreed. "Wes, you don't mind if we make a quick detour?" she asked.

"Not at all," Wes replied, and so Rui led the way to the humongous tree into which Eagun and Beluh's house was built.

"Ah, Rui, Wes," grinned Eagun as the two of them entered the house. "Glad to see you two are OK! I heard about the commotion at Mt. Battle. I trust the two of you handled the situation?"

"We certainly did," Wes grinned. "We ran those creeps out of there, and stopped them from taking a Time Flute from Vander."

"And after that, Vander actually gave the Time Flute to Wes," Rui added.

"Hmhm… I see!" Eagun nodded. "Vander conferred the Time Flute upon you, did he? Well, then, what are you waiting for? You two should head on down to the Relic Forest and summon Celebi at once!" He sounded very excited, and nowhere near as old as he looked. "This is quite exciting! Oh, yes- Wes, may I have the number of your PD… uh… thing?" he asked.

"My P*DA number? Certainly," Wes agreed, and he proceeded to teach Eagun the number.

"Excellent, excellent," smiled Eagun. "I'll try to reach you at this number if anything happens."

"Alright," nodded Wes. "So… Rui, what say we head to the Relic Forest?" he asked.

"Works for me," smiled Rui.

Half an hour later, they were all set. The sun was starting to set, which only added to the forest's soothing atmosphere. Wes had changed up his team using the PC at the Pokémon Center, and was now sending out Yanma, Misdreavus, Meditite, Swablu, Remoraid, and Entei. On his orders, the six of them gathered around the Relic Stone, and while it didn't seem to react to any of the Shadow Pokémon, Wes simply smiled. He brought the Time Flute up to his lips and started to play. He wasn't especially musically inclined, but the Time Flute seemed quite forgiving in that aspect. Notes that ought to have been sour and hard on the ears came out perfect.

And then, it appeared. Descending from the sky, a small green fairy-like creature with a large onion for a head. Rui gasped audibly as Celebi swirled around the six Shadow Pokémon, leaving trails of green energy. And then, all at once, all six Shadow Pokémon seemed to expel their dark auras all at once. Rui smiled- all six Shadow Pokémon were purified instantly. Smiling at the newly purified Pokémon, and then at Wes and Rui, Celebi took off once more. Wes looked down at the Time Flute, only to see that it was no longer green. He tried to play it again, but it crumbled into dust the second he tried.

"Well, that worked out well," Rui remarked as Wes withdrew all six Pokémon. "It's just a shame we could only do this for six Shadow Pokémon, though. Imagine if we could just gather them all here at once, play the Time Flute, and boom, they're all purified."

"That'd be nice," Wes agreed. "Though I think we might be pushing the envelope as it is. It could be worse- imagine if this only worked for one Shadow Pokémon!"

Rui laughed at the idea. "Heh, that'd be stupid," she agreed. "That's the kind of weird quirk you'd only see as a bad video game design element, though- certainly not in real life." Then, she paused, looking out at the setting sun. "Wow," she murmured softly. "The sunset is beautiful… And watching it in this forest… It's amazing, isn't it, Wes?"

"Yeah," Wes agreed, with a glance at Rui. "Amazing." At this, Rui turned to look at Wes, and the pair of them just looked into each other's eyes for a moment.

"So… Grandpa will probably let us stay the night," Rui finally said. "What do you say we call it a day?"

"Works for me," Wes nodded.

Eagun, as it transpired, was most pleased to allow Wes and Rui to stay the night. The following morning, he and Beluh had prepared a sizable breakfast for them. "Wow!" Rui exclaimed upon seeing the various foods set out before them. "This looks amazing!"

"Oh, this is nothing," grinned Eagun. "You should've seen how your grandma and I used to eat when we had this friend who did the cooking for us. Our cooking skills pale in comparison to his. But dig in, dig in- you'll need your strength if you're going to keep taking on these criminals, after all!"

Neither Wes nor Rui needed telling twice. Despite Eagun's modesty, the food was perhaps some of the most delicious Wes had ever had. He wasn't sure he'd rank Eagun and Beluh's cooking above the Outskirt Stand's bacon cheeseburgers, but it had to be close to it.

Finally, after they were all full, Wes and Rui said their goodbyes and departed from Eagun's house. First, they went to the Pokémon Center, allowing Wes to switch his six Pokémon out for his usual team once more. And then, as they made their way to the bridge, a young woman gave Wes and Rui a Cologne Case, stating that massaging Pokémon with the scents it could hold was a way to make them happy. Wes accepted it, intrigued, wondering whether it might have any impact on the hearts of Shadow Pokémon. At the moment, though, Wes wanted to head back to Pyrite Town, and so that's where they went. En route to Pyrite, Wes couldn't help but notice a strange building in the middle of nowhere. There was an electric fence going all around it. It struck him as odd, so he stopped his motorcycle to make a note of it on his P*DA's map. Finally, after that, they resumed the ride to Pyrite Town.

"Hey, Wes," grinned Cail as the gatekeeper of Pyrite spotted his friend approaching. "How goes it with that Furret?"

"Better than you'd expect," Wes grinned back. "How's things going here?"

"Oh, it's quieted down a bunch since afro-zilla hauled ass outta here," replied Cail.

"Yeah, you can thank Wes for that," Rui smiled proudly. "He drove that Miror B. out of town!"

"Wait- that guy's Miror B.?!" exclaimed Cail. "And I just watched him run away? Damn it! I owe that con artist a good kick in the Sludge Bombs!"

"For what it's worth, my Pokémon pretty much thoroughly humiliated him," Wes reassured Cail.

"Well, that's something, I guess," conceded Cail. "And then I saw that other weirdo come dancing in… if you can call it dancing, anyway. He looked… he was clearly going for the Miror B. look, but wasn't really there. Said something about the cave, if that means anything.

Wes and Rui exchanged looks. "That doesn't sound good," remarked Wes. "C'mon, we better check it out."

The Pyrite Building, thankfully, wasn't locked, allowing them to enter freely. True to his word, Wes brought out Hariyama, who reduced the reception desk to toothpicks with a well-placed Cross Chop. Unfortunately, this still attracted the attention of one of the Trainers they sought to avoid- the Miror B. underlings were still in the building for reasons neither Wes nor Rui could fathom. Moreover, they all seemed very interested in rematches. Wes sighed, and sent out Plusle and Furret to handle the Trainer's Flying-types.

The climb up the building was just as slow as their first one had been, as indeed, every Trainer from the previous visit was there, and they were still interested in battling.

As they reached the rooftop, Wes's P*DA ringtone could be heard, and so he whipped out the device and pulled up his latest email. "It's from Duking," he reported. "The police have a pair of goons in jail they think take orders from Miror B. Duking figures they might be worth squeezing for intelligence. Didn't Trudly and Folly say Miror B. only gives them cryptic hints so they can't spill too much, though?"

"Well, that's Trudly and Folly," replied Rui. "Maybe Miror B. doesn't trust them too much because they're always screwing up. Grandpa told me he knew of a pair of Pokémon thieves that were pretty much the same way, back when he was traveling as a Trainer."

"Could be," shrugged Wes. "Though as long as we're here, we might as well check out the cave first, just to make sure everything's alright."

"I'm fine with that," Rui nodded, and so, Wes led the way into the cave. This time, as they remembered their way around from last time, it wasn't such a bad trek, even with more Trainers still challenging Wes to rematches. At this point, Wes was welcoming this, regarding it as good experience for his Pokémon.

At long last, not too far after the healing machine, Wes and Rui came to the chamber where Miror B. had been dancing… and standing on that same stage, there stood a Cipher Peon. His uniform was gold, and his helmet was red and white, made to look like a Poké Ball… or perhaps Miror B.'s afro. "…Who or what are you?" Wes asked.

The Peon grinned. "I'm Mirakle B.!" he declared. "I'm the rightful successor to Miror B.! Yeah! Gonna get me an afro! Now, you took the time to come down here to see me, so let's see what you can do!" he declared. "Let's play the music!"

"I think Miror B. says 'let the music play'," Rui corrected him.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" Mirakle B. snapped, as he pressed a button on a music player on his belt. Immediately, what could only be described as a sped-up, off-key version of Miror B.'s memorable salsa music started to play. "Now!" he added, throwing two Poké Balls. "Sandslash! Linoone!"

Wes smirked as he threw two Poké Balls of his own. "Go, Feraligatr!" he called. "And go, Hariyama!"

"Alright! Sandslash, Aerial Ace!" declared Miracle B. "Linoone, Headbutt!"

"Surf!" Wes called to Feraligatr. "Hariyama, use Cross Chop on Linoone!"

As Sandslash and Linoone moved in to attack, they were pushed back by a huge tidal wave, which knocked the former clean out. Linoone was still standing, but not for long- Hariyama came charging in with thunderous footsteps, and delivered a forceful Cross Chop, which finished off the Normal-type.

"This does not deter me!" Mirakle B. stated as he withdrew Sandslash and Linoone. "Now, go! Electrode and Seaking!" he called out. "Protect, both of you!"

Wes smirked. "Feraligatr, Rain Dance!" he ordered, as he withdrew Hariyama. "Now, Espeon! Go!" he added, sending out Espeon as Electrode and Seaking shielded themselves from absolutely nothing. "Bad move," he called to Mirakle B.

"Oh, oh, you, you just wait!" Mirakle B. fumed. "Seaking, Protect once more! Electrode, Explosion!"

Wes's smirk faded. "Reflect!" he called to Espeon, but in a rare moment of an opponent moving faster than Espeon, Electrode blew up. Thankfully, Espeon and Feraligatr were still able to fight, with the former setting up Reflect as ordered, and the latter causing it to rain in the cave as it had once before. Annoyingly, Seaking had managed another Protect,

"Return, Electrode!" said Mirakle B., as he threw a fifth and final Poké Ball. "Go, go, Sudowoodo!" he added, as the arboreal Rock-type materialized. "Let's show them! Seaking, Protect! Sudowoodo, Self-Destruct!"

"Get back!" Wes exclaimed, withdrawing both Feraligatr and Espeon. He then sent out Hariyama and Umbreon, just as Sudowoodo exploded. Seaking attempted to put up another Protect shield, but this time it fizzled out. Mirakle B. could only watch in horror as Self-Destruct took out both of his remaining Pokémon. Meanwhile, Umbreon and Hariyama, helped out by the Reflect as well as their natural defensive capabilities, withstood the blast with little trouble.

"My dreams!" Mirakle B. wailed as he withdrew his Pokémon. "You've ruined my dreams of getting an afro!"

"Oh, yeah, it's the law," Wes replied sarcastically. "Because my Pokémon beat your Pokémon, you have to shave your head. Yeah, that makes perfect sense."

Mirakle B. seemed not to notice. "Darn!" he said as he turned off his music. "I don't care if nobody agrees- I'm still the rightful heir to Miror B.!"

"Does Miror B. agree?" asked Rui. "I'd think you'd care whether he agrees."

"…Shut up! Just shut up!" cried Mirakle B., as he sat down on the circular stage and proceeded to mope.

Wes and Rui exchanged looks as they left the cave. "Well, that was a waste of time," said Wes. "Here I thought this guy was gonna be some big threat that brings Cipher back to Pyrite, and… well, you saw how that battle went," he said to Rui.

Rui nodded. "He makes Trudly and Folly look competent!" she agreed. Wes chuckled at this. "So, Wes," she added. "Duking said they have some of Miror B.'s goons in jail, right? Let's see what that's about."

Wes nodded. "Works for me.


	16. Chapter 16: Pre Gym Preparations

Wes and Rui walked into Pyrite's police headquarters, only to be met with Officer Johnson approaching them. "Listen, listen!" he said. "The Chief and I, we grabbed these two suspects as they were returning to that creaky old building!" He chuckled, sounding proud of himself.

"So, Chief," Wes said, approaching Sherles. "What's the story?"

"Well, actually, Wes, I'm about to say something I never thought I'd say in my life- Johnson's right," replied Sherles. "He and I nabbed two ladies who were headed back into the old Pyrite Building. Duking was able to identify them as members of Cipher he saw fleeing the building. Here," he added, handing a key to Wes. "It's a key to our jail cells. You can go into their cell, interrogate 'em. I'm a little wary about just forking this over to just anyone, but Duking vouched for you two in a big way, and, well, I trust the man's judgement." As he spoke, Wes accepted the Jail Key. "See what you can get out of 'em."

"Thanks, Chief," smiled Wes. He led the way down the hall, to where the jail cells were. And sure enough, in the cell where Trudly and Folly were once hiding out, there were two women Wes and Rui recognized- Ferma and Reath. Ferma tensed up upon seeing them; Reath was asleep.

"So… it's Ferma, right?" smirked Wes as he unlocked the cell door and walked inside, with Rui following close behind. "What are you in for?"

Ferma scoffed. "The stupidest thing," she mumbled. "But why should I tell _you?_ " she added. "Yeah, you're hot, but I'm not about to spill secrets to the enemy."

"You flatter me," Wes said flatly. "But yeah, as to why you should tell me… I have six Pokémon on hand right now. You and Reath, you don't have any right now, do you? So you do the math."

Ferma gritted her teeth. "Fine," she snapped. "Reath and I were collared when we tried to sneak back down to The Under."

"The Under?" Wes repeated. "What's that?"

"Never you mind," said Ferma. "Point is, we're in here because of you. It's just another thing that goes with this, that, and everything else you caused! It's all your fault!"

In response, Wes took a Poké Ball out of his trenchcoat pocket. Ferma still looked pissed, but now she was eyeing the Poké Ball apprehensively. "Try that again?" smirked Wes.

"OK, all I'll say is, you know that elevator in Pyrite Building?" said Ferma. "Let's just say that building has one hell of a basement. But you're not gonna see for yourself, not without the key," she added with a smirk.

"…Do you think she was telling the truth?" Rui asked Wes as they exited the police station. "About the elevator?"

"One way to find out," shrugged Wes.

"But didn't she mention a key?" said Rui. "We don't have a key for that elevator."

Wes smirked, holding up a shining silver key. "Oh, don't we?" he retorted. "It was clipped to Reath's belt, they must have missed it when confiscating their possessions. Probably Johnson's doing. Being an ex-thief does have its advantages."

"You're not kidding," grinned Rui. "So what now?"

Wes thought about this. "Well, If this Under place is supposed to be some sort of hub of activity for Cipher," he finally said, "then we'd do well to prepare. I'm thinking we either go in smart, or not at all."

Rui nodded. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well, first," said Wes, "I'm thinking I want to finally take up Justy on his battle challenge. I got a full team of six by this point, and I'm thinking I'll see how I stack up against such a respected Trainer before we go in to take on members of Cipher who could be even stronger."

"Makes sense," agreed Rui. "Then what?"

"Then I'm thinking the Outskirt Stand," stated Wes. "Stock up on supplies, and also get dinner, because going through the building and cave took all freaking day. Then we find somewhere to crash for the night, and tomorrow morning, we check out that elevator."

Rui nodded. "Sounds like a plan," she stated. "So, we're headed back to Phenac first, right?"

Wes nodded back. "That's about the shape of it," he said.

One motorcycle ride later, and Wes and Rui found themselves back in the rather beautiful Phenac City. They first stopped off at Es Cade's house, but he didn't seem to have any news for them. Indeed, he showed mild surprise at every piece of news they had for him.

"Geez," Wes murmured as they approached the Pre Gym. "At least Johnson actually made an arrest. If I didn't know better, I'd say Es Cade isn't even trying."

"I'm sure he's trying," Rui said reasonably. "It's pretty hard to get any solid information on Cipher. It took us a while to even work out what Shadow Pokémon were called, remember?"

"Yeah, but still" sighed Wes as they entered. "I'd like to think he'd have _something_ for us by now… Hello, Justy," he added as the purple haired Pre Gym Leader approached them.

"Hello!" Justy greeted Wes and Rui. "So, Wes, am I correct in assuming you finally got a full team of six Pokémon?"

"Yeah- for a while now, actually," replied Wes. "Been busy."

"I don't doubt it," nodded Justy. "All sorts of rumors have reached me, and if half of them are true, you're really something else! So, would you like to battle against me?"

"I'd love to," grinned Wes.

Justy grinned back. "Then what are we waiting for?" he asked. "Let's go! Show me a great battle."

With that, Wes and Justy stepped into the battle area in the center of the building. Rui stood off to the side, promising to cheer Wes on.

A referee stood off to the side. "This will be a full six-on-six double battle between Justy, the Pre Gym Leader, and Wes, the challenger," he stated. "Justy will choose his Pokémon first. Let the battle begin!"

"OK!" grinned Justy, throwing a pair of Poké Balls. "Go, Cacnea! Go, Sunflora!"

Wes eyed the pair of Grass-types who materialized before Justy. He had nothing with a particular type advantage here, but he knew what he'd try first in any case. He threw two of his own Poké Balls. "Go, Espeon!" he exclaimed. "Go, Hariyama!"

"Cacnea, Double Team!" ordered Justy. "Sunflora, Ingrain!"

"Let's take care of Cacnea first!" declared Wes. "Helping Hand and Cross Chop!"

"Espe!" Espeon exclaimed, sending a helpful burst of energy into Hariyama's body.

"Hariiiiiiyama!" bellowed Hariyama, stomping forward. Cacnea attempted to create a number of illusory copies, but the Fighting-type got there first, and landed the powerful Fighting move. Even though Cacnea wasn't yet the Dark-type its evolved form was known to be, that one Cross Chop seemed to have struck a weak point, making the referee's decision an easy one.

"Cacnea is unable to battle!" he ruled. "Wes gets the first win!"

"Return, Cacnea!" said Justy, withdrawing the Cactus Pokémon. "Not bad," he grinned. "Now, go, Sandshrew!" he added, throwing another ball and unleashing Sandshrew. "Use Sandstorm! Sunflora, use Mega Drain on Hariyama!"

"Hariyama, fight back with Vital Throw!" ordered Wes as Sandshrew's Sandstorm started up, with gritty wind whirling around the battlefield. "Espeon, use Psybeam on Sandshrew!"

However, while Hariyama was able to soundly defeat Sunflora with a single hit of Vital Throw, sustaining only minimal damage from the Mega Drain, Espeon wasn't so lucky, and the Psybeam missed. Suddenly, Wes found it a lot harder to see Sandshrew.

"Sunflora is unable to battle!" ruled the referee.

"What do you think?" smirked Justy as he withdrew Sunflora. "Sandshrew's Sand Veil is pretty good, huh? As long as there's a sandstorm going, good luck hitting it! Now!" he added, throwing another Poké Ball. "Gligar, go!"

In a flash of light, a purple winged creature materialized, but was almost immediately obscured by the Sandstorm. Wes gritted his teeth- Gligar must have had Sand Veil as well! "Espeon, use Psybeam on Gligar!" Wes called. "Hariyama, use Vital Throw on Sandshrew!"

"Sandshrew, Swift!" ordered Justy. "Gligar, Aerial Ace on Hariyama!"

Espeon fired a Psybeam into the blinding sandstorm, but it didn't seem to hit anything. However, a number of star-shaped rays of energy shot out of the sandstorm, striking both Espeon and Hariyama. And then, Gligar came out of what seemed to be literally nowhere, catching Hariyama off-guard with powerful slashes. Wes heard the earth-shaking crash. "Hariyama!?" he exclaimed.

"Hariyama is unable to battle!" ruled the referee. "Wes has five Pokémon remaining, while the Pre Gym Leader has four!"

"Come on, Wes, you can do this!" Rui cheered as he withdrew Hariyama. "Don't let that Sand Veil rain on your parade!"

"Rain… That's it!" Wes exclaimed. "Rui, you're a genius!" As he spoke, he threw another Poké Ball. "Now! Go, Feraligatr!" Wes exclaimed as his Water-type materialized. "Rain Dance, go!"

"Ga-TOOOOOOOOOOOR!" bellowed Feraligatr, as dark clouds formed above the battlefield.

"No!" Justy exclaimed, but all of a sudden, rain started to pour down onto the battlefield, dispelling the sandstorm, and leaving Gligar and Sandshrew completely visible. Sandshrew hastily stopped picking its nose as it realized its cover was blown.

"Now!" grinned Wes. "Helping Hand and Surf!"

"Use Double Team, both of you!" Justy cried desperately, but even as he spoke, the souped-up tidal wave was crashing down upon both of the Ground-types. Wes figured what the referee's call would be before the attack even concluded.

"Sandshrew and Gligar- both are unable to battle!" declared the referee. "This leaves Justy with only two Pokémon remaining!"

"So what do you think?" Wes asked Justy.

"You're definitely good," Justy grinned as he withdrew Sandshrew and Gligar. "But let's see how you like these last two! Now!" he exclaimed, throwing two more Poké Balls. "Nosepass! Azumarill! Go!"

Wes eyed up the new opponents. Nosepass wouldn't be a problem with Feraligatr's Surf, but that Azumarill might pose a problem. "Alright… Feraligatr, Surf," said Wes. "Espeon, use Psybeam on Azumarill!"

"Azumarill, use Return on Feraligatr!" declared Justy. "Nosepass, use Rock Slide!"

Espeon fired the Psybeam, but to Wes's mild surprise, Azumarill was still standing. It charged forward, pink hearts swirling all around it, and tackled Feraligatr with great force. Wes was stunned as Feraligatr crashed to the floor. "Feraligatr is unable to battle!" the referee ruled. "Wes is down to four Pokémon!"

"And Sand Veil's not the only Ability my Pokémon can make use of," smirked Justy. "That's Huge Power for you- Azumarill's physical moves have twice their usual power!"

"Alright," Wes said as he withdrew Feraligatr. "Let's see how Azumarill likes this!" he added, throwing a Poké Ball. "Plusle, let's go!"

"Plaaaahaaa!" Plusle cheered as she emerged from her ball, just as Nosepass unleashed Rock Slide. The Electric-type was able to evade the falling rocks, but Espeon wasn't so lucky. He emerged from the rubble still ready to fight, but decidedly not unscathed, Wes noted.

"OK," said Wes. "Espeon, use Psybeam on Nosepass! Plusle, use Spark on Azumarill!"

"Fight back with Return!" Justy called to Azumarill. "Nosepass, Thunder Wave!"

Plusle and Azumarill collided in the center of the battlefield. Sparks literally flew from the impact, but Plusle held her ground impressively. And to general surprise, she managed to knock Azumarill on its back. "Azumarill is unable to battle!" called the referee.

Nosepass, meanwhile, wasn't faring so well. The Thunder Wave and Psybeam had hit their respective targets, but once Espeon got paralyzed by the Electric move, his head gem flashed yellow. Suddenly, Nosepass's body started sparking. "What?!" exclaimed Justy.

"You've got a lot to learn about Abilities, Justy," smirked Wes. "Like, for instance, Espeon here has Synchronize. You burn Espeon, or poison him, or paralyze him, Espeon does the same back at you! Now!" he grinned. "Espeon, Helping Hand! Plusle, Spark! Let's finish this!"

"Nosepass, Double Team!" Justy shouted. But it was no use- Nosepass was way too slow. Already, Plusle, powered up by Espeon's Helping Hand, was charging forward, powerful sparks flying off her body. Plusle rammed right into Nosepass, toppling the odd stone creature.

"Nosepass is unable to battle!" the referee ruled. "All six of Justy's Pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner is Wes!"

"Yay!" Rui cheered as Wes withdrew Espeon and Plusle.

"Man, you're good," Justy grinned as he withdrew Nosepass. "Wow. That was a challenging and satisfying battle. If Orre had a proper Pokémon League, I'd be awarding you a badge right about now. It's a shame- you're definitely good enough to earn one, too. But yeah- no shame from this loss. Right now, I consider myself lucky to have taken part in this spectacular battle."

"Thanks," grinned Wes. "You were pretty tough, yourself."

"Alright, since there's no badges to speak of here," replied Justy, fishing a disc out of his pocket and handing it to Wes. "Here. It's a Technical Machine containing the move Return. Honestly, man, that was a fantastic battle that I'll never forget," he added.

Wes nodded. "Same here."

Later on, Wes and Rui exited the Phenac City Pokémon Center. Wes's Pokémon were fully healed, and also, Wes took the opportunity to remove the Experience Share Plusle had been wearing- it was clear she was ready to battle regularly alongside her teammates by this point, so Wes didn't see why he might hold back on letting her battle any further.

"I mean, did you see how she held up against Azumarill?" Wes was saying to Rui as they pulled up to the Outskirt Stand. "I've known that Plusle since I was a little kid, and Espeon and Umbreon were both still Eevee, and lemme tell you, she's come a long way."

"Plusle was awesome," Rui agreed. "So, Wes, is the food here any good?" she asked, looking up at the rusted, hollowed-out locomotive.

Wes simply smiled. Rui would find out.

"Mmm!" Rui muffled as she eagerly took another bite of her bacon cheeseburger. "Oh my Mew, Wes! This is amazing~"

"I had a feeling you'd like it," Wes smiled, before resuming the consumption of his own bacon cheeseburger. "Best burgers this side of Phenac. They actually cook the bacon with Torkoal smoke."

"Oh!" Rui responded, awestruck by the flavor. "I love it, I love it, I love it!" She then ate several of her fries- indeed, the only way her meal differed from what Wes was eating was that Rui was drinking a bottle of Pepseadra, while Wes opted for Cacnea Cola. Normally he'd give Rui a bit of a hard time in regards to her soda preference, albeit jokingly, but somehow, he didn't feel like it. He smiled as he watched Rui eat, then continued to eat his own meal. The meal was a happy and satisfying one…

…until Rui saw the check. "Oh, no," she moaned, going through her pockets. "I don't think I have enough money…"

"Not a problem," Wes replied. "I'll pay."

"Oh, but I wanted to pay," sighed Rui. "I… Wes, it's…"

"What is it?" Wes asked Rui, getting the feeling this went deeper than her lack of money.

"…It's just… you've been doing everything these past few days," sighed Rui. "I mean, yeah, I can identify the Shadow Pokémon by sight, but you're the one battling them, Snagging them, purifying them, fighting all the Cipher members, thwarting all their plans, and in the meantime, you also had to rescue me from a couple of kidnapping creeps. I just… I feel kinda useless," Rui admitted. "I figured the least I could do is pay for my own food, but I can't even do that…"

Rui looked down, but looked back up as she felt Wes take hold of one of her hands. "Rui…" said Wes. "You are not useless. Not even close. Yes, I'm the one who battles and Snags the Shadow Pokémon, and all that, but without you identifying them by sight, I'd be at a huge disadvantage there. And even if that wasn't the case… Rui, I don't know how much traveling you've ever done by yourself, but speaking as someone who's had to do a lot of that, I can tell you it's not much fun. Way more fun when you have somebody to talk to. That isn't a Pokémon," he amended. "Espeon and Umbreon are good company, but not so good if you want to have a conversation. Point being, Rui… the fact that you can see Shadow Pokémon isn't the only way you're useful. You're also being useful by being the good friend you are. You… you gave me a fair chance when you learned I was in Team Snagem. You heard me out. You listened to my story, and you decided you could look past my shady past. That meant so much to me. So no, you're not useless," he smiled. "Good company can never be truly useless. And if the price I have to pay for such good company is however much your food costs, then so be it."

Silence. There was naught but silence in the wake of Wes's words. Evidently his words had carried somewhat, so everyone in the locomotive, including Willie, had stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Wes and Rui. Rui looked at Wes, at a momentary loss for words. What he just said, every bit of it was true, and she knew it. Moreover, this wasn't the first time he'd said things to her that she really needed to hear, wasn't the first time he'd made her feel better when she was worried about something or someone. Rui, overcome with emotion, decided then and there to do that which she'd been tempted to do for some time now, consequences be damned. Unable to articulate her feelings into adequate words, she leaned across the table and kissed Wes on the mouth. Wes's initial shock and surprise quickly gave way to a sudden urge to reciprocate this kiss, and so they kissed, tuning out everything else in the world at that moment, including the cheering patrons of the Outskirt Stand. Willie turned and shot a grin at the big-footed man behind the counter. "Pay up, man," said Willie. "Didn't I call it?"

"Yeah, yeah, you sure did," sighed the man, who forked over several hundred Pokédollars to Willie.


	17. Chapter 17: Under Cover

Rui had not spoken since the kiss. Wes had paid for their meals, and also stocked up on more kinds of Poké Balls. To his surprise, the man had discovered supplies of other varieties of Poké Ball, and now had those for sale as well. Wes purchased a good quantity of Ultra Balls, as well as Timer Balls.

Once they were outside, Rui stopped just near Wes's motorcycle. "Um," she finally spoke up. "W-W-Wes… I… back there… What we… Um… I mean to say, d-did you…"

Wes smiled. "I enjoyed it," he confirmed. "Very much."

Rui gave a small smile. "So did I," she replied. "I… I actually wanted to do that for a while now," she admitted. "I just… I was just a little worried… I… I didn't want to make things weird between us, y'know?" she said to Wes.

Wes nodded. "It's a valid point," he agreed. "But… it didn't feel weird. I'll admit I didn't see the kiss coming, but once it was actually happening… it felt natural. Like my entire brain was shouting at me, going, 'YES! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! KISS HER BACK, YOU IDIOT!'."

Rui gave a small chuckle. "Your brain calls you an idiot?" she quipped.

"Frequently," grinned Wes. "Either that or Espeon's much better at telepathy than he lets on. So… where to?"

"…Could we go to Agate?" suggested Rui. "We can stay at Grandpa and Grandma's for the night… and… and I'd like to watch the sunset with you again," she added, blushing.

Wes smiled. "That sounds wonderful," he agreed. "Hop on."

The rest of the night went rather smoothly. The ride back to Agate went without a hitch, the sunset was just as beautiful as the one they'd seen the previous night, and both Eagun and Beluh were happy to hear about the kiss Wes and Rui had shared. Eagun exclaimed he'd had a feeling about them the entire time, and Beluh added that that was truly saying something, considering that apparently, Eagun, in his youth, was a lot more oblivious about matters of the heart. The two of them gladly allowed Wes and Rui to stay the night, and early the next morning, after another excellent breakfast, they were off.

Wes and Rui strolled into Pyrite Town, holding hands, a fact that was not lost on many of the residents. Cail approached Wes as he and Rui entered town. "Niiiiiiice," he grinned. "Had a feeling about you two."

The Trainers in Duel Square looked equally approving of this. That one woman who had called Rui a wallflower looked floored by this development, something Rui found particularly satisfying.

Before long, Wes and Rui arrived at the dilapidated Pyrite Building. This time, they strolled right past what remained of the reception desk, and towards the large elevator on the right side of the ground floor.

"Ohhhh, no, no," said the provocatively-dressed Trainer standing near the elevator. "Where do you two lovebirds think you're going?"

"The elevator, if you don't mind," Wes replied.

"Well, too bad for you- I do mind," retorted the woman. "This elevator is off-limits! Go, Phanpy! Go, Vibrava!" she yelled, throwing two Poké Balls.

Wes sighed. "OK, lemme rephrase that. The elevator, whether or not you mind." With that, he sent out Feraligatr and Plusle, and one Helping Hand-boosted Surf later, the woman was bitterly withdrawing her Pokémon, unable to stop Wes from inserting the key in the door barring their way to the elevator.

Just minutes later, Wes and Rui were slowly descending down. Down, down past the building, deep under the ground. Their jaws dropped simultaneously at what met their eyes- they were beholding an entire city built underground. "…Holy crap," murmured Rui.

"There really _is_ an underground city at the bottom of that chasm!" exclaimed Wes.

They stepped off the elevator once it had reached the very bottom of the shaft.

A pale young woman approached them. "Welcome to The Under!" she greeted them with a smile. "It's been a long time since anyone has come down here."

"Nice to… be here," Wes murmured, still trying to process the fact that there was an underground city directly beneath his hometown, and he never knew about it.

And then, a nearby TV came to life. A news anchor showed up on the screen. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" she said. "It's time for The Under Time again today! Now, without further ado, let's bring out that special someone we've all been waiting for! Lady Venus, please!"

The screen shifted abruptly, now showing a very much overdressed woman, in a dress of pink and white. "Hi, everyone!" she said. "It's me, your Venus! Everyone's Venus, that's me!" Rui nudged Wes here, and he turned to see her miming the action of gagging. Wes chuckled at this, but as Venus continued, the broadcast caught their attention once more. "I have something terribly important to share with you today," Venus continued. "It's horrid- there are spies! Right here in The Under! Can you imagine?" Venus shook her head. "Unfortunately, we don't really know all the details, but if you see anyone suspicious, please let us know. Everyone, please, I'm counting on you! We need you to get lots of information for us!"

The scene changed back to show the news anchor. "And that was Lady Venus!" she said. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, thank you for watching. Please do tune in again!"

"No way…" Rui murmured, after making sure the woman who had greeted them had walked away. "They know that we came here already?"

Wes shook his head. "I doubt it," he muttered back. "We just got here two seconds ago. I'm no expert on television broadcasts, but I'm pretty sure they need a _little_ more time than that to set one up."

Rui gave a nervous chuckle. "Right… you're right," she admitted. "Being silly… Sorry…"

Wes shook his head. "Nah," he replied. "You're being cautious. It's probably a good idea to try not to stand out around here- we may not be the spies Venus was talking about, but we can't count on the locals knowing that."

With that, Wes and Rui started to explore the town. To their general relief, a good amount of the citizens seemed to pay them no heed. A few of them cast the pair some curious looks, but that was the extent of it.

After a while, Wes led the way into the local Pokémon Mart, where he and Rui marveled at the selection before them. "Whoa," Wes murmured. "Hyper Potions? Full Restores? Revives?"

"And look at those TMs," Rui added.

"Like our selection?" grinned the clerk. "We pride ourselves on a wide variety of TMs and other useful items."

"And rightly so," Wes nodded, impressed. "Alright, I'll take one of those… one of those… Definitely a bunch of Hyper Potions and Full Heals… Ooh, several of those… Definitely one of those…"

A few minutes later, Wes and Rui exited the Mart, with the former carrying a large bag of medicines. He'd also sold off a number of the less effective items that came with the Snag Machine- Super Potions, Antidotes, Awakenings, and the like. Wes stowed his Hyper Potions and Full Heals away in the Snag Machine's hammerspace item storage, then sent out his Pokémon and began to divvy up the various TMs in his possession.

After this, they continued to explore the town. In a seedy bar, they saw another The Under Time broadcast, in which Venus complained that the spies had not yet been found. And outside that bar, Wes and Rui encountered a young man a little younger-looking than Wes. "Hey," said the Trainer. "Name's Gurks. You two gonna enter a colosseum challenge?"

"There's a colosseum here?" asked Wes.

"Yep," grinned Gurks. "The winner of a colosseum challenge gets to meet Lady Venus in person-"

"Real big incentive," Rui muttered.

"-and receive a Shadow Pokémon!"

Wes and Rui exchanged looks. "A Shadow Pokémon?" Wes repeated.

"Heh, yep!" smirked Gurks. "They're these wicked awesome Pokémon with serious power and this awesome move called Shadow Rush! One day, I'm gonna enter and get me a Shadow Pokémon! But in the meantime…" He trailed off there, clutching two Poké Balls. Wes, getting the idea, sent out Espeon and Plusle. "Go!" Gurks exclaimed, as he sent out… a Magikarp and a Feebas. Espeon made short work of them with a Psybeam apiece, while Plusle cheered him on with Helping Hand.

"Heh, I'm just getting started!" Gurks grinned, throwing a third ball. "Go, Wailord!"

"OH DEAR MEW NO!" Wes exclaimed, stepping back hastily as the gargantuan Float Whale Pokémon materialized. Oddly enough, it was hovering in midair.

"How's it doing that?" asked Rui.

"If you ever bothered to figure out Wailord's density," retorted Gurks, "you'd know it's less dense than air. Why do you think it's known as the Float Whale Pokémon?"

"I always figured because it floats on water," shrugged Wes. "OK! Espeon, Helping Hand! Plusle, Thunder attack!"

Plusle grinned as she received a boost in power from Espeon, then crackled with electricity. PLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Plusle exclaimed, unleashing a powerful bolt of lightning. Wailord's groans echoed throughout The Under, and Gurks wisely withdrew the massive blimp of a Pokémon with great haste.

Shortly after beating Gurks, Wes and Rui found themselves in a junk shop. The elderly proprietor seemed a bit distracted, and it took him a few minutes before Wes had to clear his throat. "Oh! Excuse me, my apologies. I'm just a little distracted- it appears my grandchild recently joined something called the Kids Grid. Ever since then, it seems as though parts have been slowly disappearing from the shop… I can never tell anymore if I've misplaced something or if it's been swiped… Lad, would you do me a favor and see if you can help me find one of these?" he added, showing some sort of machine part to Wes. "I could've sworn I had another one besides this… could you check the basement?"

"Alright, sure," Wes agreed. "Shouldn't take too long, right?" he added to Rui.

They stepped down the stairs, and to Wes's delight, the basement wasn't very large at all. And then, they heard a young boy muttering. "Oh, sheesh, what should I do… I gotta make a delivery, but I'm still not done cleaning…"

"Hello?" Wes said. "The guy upstairs asked me to find a… something… part of… something… I'll know it if I see it…"

The boy wheeled around, and as he saw Wes and Rui, his eyes widened. "Hey, wait! Wow!" he said in a hushed voice. "Aren't you Wes and Rui?"

Wes and Rui exchanged looks. "Yeah, we… we are," replied Rui. "How do you know us?"

"Are you kidding me? You guys are trying to take down Cipher! You're famous!" the boy beamed. "Oh, this makes things easy! Please, can I get you to deliver this part to Nett's house?" As he spoke, he pushed exactly the part Wes had been sent to find into his hand.

"Uh… this is what the guy upstairs is looking for," Wes said, looking at the part.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, he'll order another one," the boy replied. "Look, this is about taking down Cipher. Nett really needs this part. Please?"

Wes sighed. "Well, if it's to take down Cipher, how can I refuse?"

"But… wait…" Rui was stammering.

"Just tell Nett that it's from Perr," said the boy, apparently named Perr. "He'll fill you in on the details. Nett's house is the one with the big, rotating antenna dish. You can't miss it."

Wes and Rui were understandably surprised by this. In less than a minute, they'd gone from being all alone in The Under to suddenly getting involved in the delivery of a part to someone who was supposedly looking to take down Cipher. It was a decidedly unexpected twist. Wes led the way out, having concealed the Powerup Part in his Snag Machine, and having hastily told the man he couldn't find the part.

Elsewhere in the city, Venus was standing next to a sharp-looking scientist, both of whom were talking to none other than Nascour via videophone. "Venus," said Nascour. "What is your situation?"

"Well, a couple of Rattata appear to be running loose, Nascour, but it's nothing to worry about," grinned Venus. "We'll catch them right away, pulverize, and mash them up," she giggled.

"…Fine," replied Nascour, after rolling his eyes at Venus's giggling. "Don't forget- the priority is to distribute Shadow Pokémon. Do I make myself clear? And as for you, Ein, hurry," he added, now addressing the scientist. "Complete the Shadow Pokémon's development as soon as possible."

Ein nodded. "Your trust will not be misplaced, Master Nascour," he said darkly. "Already, sufficient Shadow Pokémon battle data has been gathered from our minions. And soon… my masterpiece, the most powerful Shadow Pokémon in history, it shall soon be ready!"

Nascour nodded back. "See that it is," he said. "I will be waiting for good news. That is all." With that, the screen went staticky, and Ein and Venus turned to face each other.

"Now," said Ein. "It's time we returned to the Lab, put on the finishing touches." He then turned to a nearby scientist. "Come," said Ein. "Back to the lab." And he led the way out of the room.

Perr was right- Nett's house was impossible to miss. The satellite dish was massive. And examining the satellite dish was another boy, shaking his head. "Well, it's not broken," he sighed. "Venus must be interfering with our signal."

Wes and Rui exchanged looks, then approached another boy, this one guarding the nearby house. "Hello," said Wes. "Is this Nett's house?"

"Who wants to know?" the boy responded warily.

"Perr sent us," Rui explained. "We brought the Powerup Part."

The boy's expression brightened. "Great! I was waiting for that!" he replied. "Who are you?

"I'm Wes," replied Wes. "This is Rui."

"Wes? Rui?" repeated the boy. "Wait- you're the Wes and Rui?"

"I don't know of any other Wes and Rui," shrugged Rui.

"Oh, wow, this is too awesome!" the boy grinned. "C'mon, you have to get inside! Quick, quick!" And with that, he ushered them into the house. It looked just as small on the inside… until they went down the stairs into the much roomier basement. "Megg! Nett!" exclaimed the boy. "You won't believe who just dropped in for a visit! We've got some shocking company!"

"Shocking company?" repeated a young girl, who was sitting at a nearby table. A Shroomish stood on the table, looking surprised by the boy's outburst.

"OK, you ready for this?" grinned the boy. "It's Wes and Rui!"

"No! Really?!" came an excited voice from the next room over. Before Wes knew it, a door flew open, and another boy was looking excitedly at the newcomers. "Bitt, is this true?"

"See for yourself," smirked Bitt, gesturing to Wes and Rui, who awkwardly waved at the boy.

"Awesome!" grinned the boy. "I'm Nett! Secc in Pyrite has told me about what you've been doing so far. One of Duking's kids," he added in response to Wes and Rui's looks of confusion.

"Ah, OK. Duking we know," Wes nodded. He then tapped the white button on his Snag Machine twice while picturing the odd part, and it materialized in Wes's left hand. "Here," he added. "From Perr."

"This is great," grinned Nett, accepting the Powerup Part. "This is all I need to get the Kids Grid back up and running again." Wes and Rui followed him back into the smaller room, where Nett started tinkering with the Powerup Part and a small PC. He seemed extraordinarily adept at working with the machine. "I better explain," Nett was saying as he did this. "A little while ago, we somehow lost access to the Kids Grid. We think it's caused by a jamming signal that's interfering with the Kids Grid. Probably Venus's doing. But now, with this Powerup Part, we can boost up our equipment," he grinned. "Once the Kids Grid is back up, I'll try and hack their computers for useful data."

"…Holy crap," was all Wes could say as he and Rui exited the room.

"That's Nett, my big brother," smiled Megg. "He managed to get a little bit of data out of Cipher's computers. Apparently, there's a lab somewhere that creates Shadow Pokémon. He also managed to find information suggesting they had plans to make certain Shadow Pokémon that they've since scrapped."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Bitt added. "Apparently, they had plans to make a Shadow Psyduck, a Shadow Porygon2, a Shadow Magcargo, a Shadow Spoink, a Shadow Castform, a Shadow Wobbuffet, an army of Shadow Kecleon… But yeah, Nett's a genius. He's been gathering all sorts of data on those crooks."

"Don't forget the Shadow Minun," Nett called from the other room. "They scrapped that one when Miror B. failed to give them a Plusle so they could have a matching set."

"Oh, and Wes," added Megg. "May I have your P*DA number?" she asked. "We can contact you as soon as we learn anything."

"Sounds like a good idea," Wes agreed, and he taught them his P*DA number before he and Rui said their goodbyes and exited the house.

"I like those kids," Rui smiled as they exited the house-

"The spy! We spotted the spy!"

Wes and Rui exchanged looks and ran over at once- the voice had come from the general area where they'd entered the city in the first place, and so it was there they ran off to.


	18. Chapter 18: Lights, Camera, Snag-tion

Wes and Rui raced over as fast as they could, only to spot someone familiar being accosted near the elevator by who were unmistakably Cipher Peons. Wes and Rui gasped- it was Silva!

"Gaaaah!" Silva was exclaiming. "Let me go! Let me go!"

"Shut up!" snapped one of the Peons. "It's hopeless! Quit struggling!" As they spoke, they opened up a gate and threw Silva into an enclosed area- it was fenced off, giving poor Silva no chance to escape. "Now you be a good boy," the Peon smirked. "Lie still." The pair of them chuckled as they exited the enclosure, making sure to close the gate and lock it behind them. And then, they saw Wes and Rui. "Who might you be?" the Peon demanded. "If you're tourists, you're getting in our way. Go on, scram." And then she did a double take. "Wait! You two aren't from around these parts, are you?" she demanded.

"I'm pretty sure that's what a tourist is," Rui quipped.

"No, no, you came to rescue your pal here, didn't you?" retorted the woman. "You two are spies, too!" With that, the woman threw two Poké Balls. "Go, Ledian! Go, Spinarak!" she shouted.

Wes threw two Poké Balls as well. "Go, Feraligatr! Go, Plusle!" he called.

As the four combatants materialize, Rui stifled a gasp. "Wes- the Ledian!" she exclaimed. "It's a Shadow Pokémon!"

"Oh, boy," sighed Wes. "Alright, let's do this! Plusle, use Thunder Wave on Ledian! Feraligatr, use Surf!"

"Ledian! Comet Punch!" ordered the woman. "Spinarak, String Shot!"

However, Spinarak didn't stand a chance- the Surf knocked it out in one hit. Ledian fared much better, but thanks to Thunder Wave, he didn't get to use Comet Punch.

"Grr… now go, Volbeat!" yelled the woman, sending out yet another Bug-type in Spinarak's place.

"Feraligatr! Rain Dance!" ordered Wes as he pressed the cuff of his Snag Machine to the white button. An Ultra Ball appeared in his left hand, which he heaved at the Shadow Ledian. "Go, Snag Ball!"

"What?! NO!" screamed the Peon, but to no avail- as the rain started to fall, the Ledian formerly belonging to her was being sent to the PC storage system. "Volbeat! Signal Beam!"

"Plusle! Thunder attack!" roared Wes.

"PLAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Plusle exclaimed, unleashing an eerily accurate bolt of lightning. Before Volbeat could begin its attack, however, the attack struck, and Volbeat had fainted.

"Th-this spy's actually strong!" sobbed the woman.

"Pathetic, Kloak," snapped the other Peon, stepping forward.

"Oh, yeah, like you can do any better, Dagur?" snapped Kloak.

Dagur merely smirked before turning to Wes. "Don't relax so quickly- I'm up next!" And she threw a pair of Poké Balls, this time sending out an Illumise and an Ariados.

At the sight of the Ariados, Wes turned to look at Rui, but she shook her head. "The Ariados isn't a Shadow Pokémon," she shrugged.

"That is… odd," replied Wes. But he couldn't focus on that- Feraligatr and Plusle were ready to keep going, the rain was still falling, and they were poised to win this! "Plusle! Thunder!" he ordered.

"Silver Wind and Night Shade!" ordered Dagur, but too late- Plusle's Thunder blasted Illumise, knocking her out instantly. "OK… go, Gloom!" Dagur exclaimed once she withdrew Illumise.

"Feraligatr! Blizzard!" exclaimed Wes.

"GATOOOOOOOOOOR!" bellowed Feraligatr as he unleashed a howling snowstorm from his jaws. The ice and snow washed over both adversaries- however, neither of them fainted. Ariados unleashed Night Shade as ordered, dealing some decent damage to Plusle.

"Alright!" said Wes. "Helping Hand and Surf!"

"Gloom! Acid!" ordered Dagur. "Ariados, Night Shade!" However, almost before she finished speaking, the tidal wave washed over her Pokémon. Ariados was knocked out, and it also proved to be the straw that broke the Numel's back in Gloom's case as well.

"Got any more?" Wes smirked, withdrawing Plusle and Feraligatr.

Dagur glared at Wes before turning to Kloak. "How could we lose? The both of us?" she said. "We're out of our league against this guy!" With that, they turned tail and fled further into the under.

"And don't you forget it!" Rui shouted after them. The smirk vanished off her face in a second, however. "Wes- Silva!" she reminded him.

"Right!" Wes nodded, running over to where Silva had managed to stand up. "Silva," he said through the fence. "You alright?"

"Wes!" exclaimed Silva. "I'm fine, but listen up- I discovered they were bringing Shadow Pokémon to Pyrite from here!"

"That's why they brought me to the Pyrite Building," Wes murmured.

"Yeah, but that's as far as I got when they caught me like this," Silva said sheepishly. Then, a small smirk came over his face. "But," he added. "I did manage to filch this from them. Here," he added, slipping a grey disc through a small gap in the fence.

Wes accepted the disc and read its label. "R-Disk?" he read.

"I think it's something that's only useful here in The Under," Silva said. "I heard them mentioning something about the UFO. I don't know what that's about…"

Wes and Rui resumed exploring the city from there. And this time, as they ventured north, they came to a large chasm in the ground, with sunlight streaming in from above it- incredibly, The Under was not situated at the very bottom of the chasm, but rather somewhere in the middle. Wes was dumbfounded by this. There seemed to be buildings on the other end of the chasm, but save for a strange UFO device they couldn't figure out how to operate, there seemed to be no way to cross.

"Hey- Wes!" Rui said suddenly as they walked away. "What's that machine?"

Wes looked- Rui was pointing at a small square box next to the stairs they'd climbed to get to the UFO. Wes approached it- there was a slot that looked perfect for the R-Disk, or perhaps the F-Disk Dakim had dropped. "SELECT A UFO DISK, PLEASE," displayed on a screen. In response, Wes placed the F-Disk in the slot. After a moment, it popped back out. As Wes retrieved it, the screen now read, ALL SYSTEMS SET FOR TRAVEL IN THE FORWARD DIRECTION. BOARD NOW, PLEASE."

"So that's how this works," Rui murmured as she and Wes stepped onto the UFO. Once they were both on it, the mysterious machine started moving forward, taking them directly across the chasm. Wes still couldn't see the bottom, even from this far down.

Once they reached the other side, they started exploring. One building was a shop that sold herbal medicine, but the other one they could get to turned out to be The Under Colosseum. Thankfully for Wes, who had found not a Pokémon Center in town but instead an insanely overpriced hotel, was glad to see a Pokémon Center set up in the colosseum's lobby. They also spotted an elevator, which took them back to the surface, just on the outskirts of Pyrite Town. Wes could see where he'd parked his motorcycle, so he made a note of this out-of-the-way location on his P*DA's map- going back to The Under would be much easier by taking this elevator instead.

Wes decided against participating in a colosseum challenge. He knew he'd be identified as soon as he won and wouldn't be awarded a Shadow Pokémon. Instead, he led the way back out to the chasm. The UFO had returned to its original position, but as soon as Wes stepped on a rectangular pad, the UFO returned to him. Once back across the chasm, Wes returned to the machine, this time to use the R-Disk. This made the UFO take him and Rui to the right, where they could only see a dingy-looking building. It looked ominously similar to the Pyrite Building, Wes noted.

As they entered, a man called out, "OK, folks! We're ready to go on the air!" Wes peered in, and was shocked to see a number of TV cameras pointed at none other than Venus!

Venus smiled at the cameras, but her smile faded as she saw Wes and Rui walking in. "You two!" she said. "You're holding up the film shoot. We're about to begin filming- wait!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Oh, here we go," sighed Wes.

"I recognize your faces! They're on the blacklist from headquarters!" Venus exclaimed. "How did you find us?!"

"That's none of your business," smirked Wes. "What matters is, you're gonna stop using the colosseum to distribute Shadow Pokémon."

"Like hell," retorted Venus. "But that's not important- what really matters is, I'll squash you myself, and collect a reward from Master Nascour!" And she threw two Poké Balls she'd had stashed in her extravagant dress. "Delcatty! Vileplume!" she called.

Wes smirked and threw two Poké Balls of his own. "Go, Hariyama!" he shouted. "Go, Espeon!" Once all four Pokémon were out and ready to fight, Wes gave his orders. "Hariyama, use Cross Chop on Delcatty! Espeon, use Psybeam on Vileplume!"

Venus giggled. "All right, now," she said. "Attract!"

Numerous pink hearts flew off of Delcatty and Vileplume, and as they pelted Hariyama and Espeon, they stopped in their tracks, suddenly enamored with their adversaries. Their attacks failed.

"Aw, no!" whined Rui. "They fell in love! Venus's Pokémon must be female!" she said.

"Well, that won't do," Wes decided, withdrawing both Pokémon. He then threw two more Poké Balls, these more carefully selected. "Go, Furret! Go, Plusle!" he exclaimed.

Venus giggled again. "Silly boy," she said. "You can't escape my Pokémon's charms. Attract!" she ordered.

Once again, Delcatty and Vileplume unleashed barrages of hearts, but this time, they bounced right off Furret and Plusle with no effect whatsoever. This wiped the smug smirk off of Venus's face.

"Can't I, now?" Wes smirked. "News flash, Venus- my Furret and Plusle are both female! Now!" he added. "Helping Hand and Thunder! Aim for Delcatty!"

"No!" whined Venus, but too late- Delcatty was knocked clean out. "Ohh… Come back, Delcatty!" Once the Prim Pokémon was called back, she threw another Poké Ball. "Now, it's your turn!" she called.

Wes and his Pokémon hastily stepped back as Venus's thrown ball unleashed a full-grown Steelix into the room. Thankfully, the ceiling was high enough to accommodate it. "You are kidding me!" Wes exclaimed.

"Steelix! Use Attract on Plusle!" smirked Venus. "Vileplume! Giga Drain on Furret!"

"Plusle, it's male- get back!" Wes exclaimed, making a hasty substitution. "Feraligatr!" he added, throwing another ball, unleashing the Big Jaw Pokémon into the path of the Attract. Sure enough, his logic was correct- Steelix's Attract would've worked on Plusle, but since Feraligatr was male, no such luck. "Furret!" Wes added to the Normal-type whose energy was getting sapped by Vileplume. "Use Hyper Beam!"

"Furret! Furret… FUUUUUURRRRRRR!" exclaimed Furret, unleashing an unexpectedly powerful beam of pure destructive force from her mouth. Vileplume couldn't withstand the powerful move, and was knocked out on the spot.

"Oh, boo!" pouted Venus as she withdrew Vileplume. "Alright- go, Banette!" she added, sending out what appeared to be a possessed toy doll. "Steelix, use your Rock Slide! Banette, use Psychic on Furret!"

"Helping Hand and Surf!" Wes ordered. However, Furret, panting heavily, was unable to power up the Surf. Neither Banette nor Steelix was knocked out. Moreover, the Rock Slide rained down hard on both Feraligatr and Furret. This combined with the telekinetic assault from Banette, Wes was surprised Furret was still standing. "OK, try again!" he said. "Helping Hand and Surf!"

"Banette! Curse!" ordered Venus. "Steelix, Earthquake"

However, while Banette managed to stick itself with a needle of pure energy, causing Furret to wince in pain, Steelix wasn't quick enough in unleashing the Earthquake. This time, Feraligatr's Surf, souped up, swamped the battlefield. Both Steelix and Banette fainted, but as Venus withdrew her Pokémon, Wes noticed Furret faint as well.

"What are you smirking at?" Wes demanded as he withdrew Furret. "You've only beaten one of my Pokémon! Do you even have any left?"

"Funny you should ask," Venus replied with a diabolical grin. She produced an Ultra Ball from her dress. "I happened to get this nice little present from Chief Ein. I think I'll test it out on you." And she threw the Ultra Ball. "Suicune, let's go!"

"No freaking way…" Wes murmured, but indeed, yet another legendary Pokémon appeared before his eyes.

"Oh, yes, yes freaking way," giggled Venus.

"Uh… Wes?" murmured Rui. "You know how Dakim's Entei was a Shadow Pokémon? Well…"

"How does Cipher get their hands on these legendary Pokémon?!" Wes exclaimed. He threw a Poké Ball. "Plusle, Thunder Wave!" he exclaimed as the Electric-type materialized. "Feraligatr, Rain Dance!"

In no time at all, rain was falling in the TV studio. The cameramen hastily made to cover up their TV cameras, and it was at that moment Wes realized they were getting the entire battle on film. Moreover, Suicune was now paralyzed.

"Suicune! Shadow Rush on Feraligatr!" ordered Venus.

"Surf! Thunder!" Wes retorted.

Suicune charged forward, through the crashing tidal wave, in spite of the searing lightning bolt, in spite of the paralysis, and rammed into Feraligatr, knocking him out instantly. Wes withdrew Feraligatr, seeing that Suicune was at least weakening.

"OK, Hariyama!" Wes exclaimed, sending out his Fighting-type. But then, instead of giving an order, he made an Ultra Ball appear in his left hand, which he then tossed at the Suicune.

"No! Not my Suicune!" exclaimed Venus. To her relief, however, Suicune broke free of the Snag Ball. "OK! Use Surf!" she commanded.

"Plusle, get on Hariyama and use Protect!" Wes called.

"Plaa plaa!" Plusle exclaimed, hopping atop Hariyama's mountainous form, and casting a Protect shield over them both. The Surf washed harmlessly over them.

"Now!" Wes exclaimed, already heaving a Timer Ball. "Snag Ball! Get it!"

Venus gritted her teeth as Suicune was yanked into the Timer Ball with a distinctive ticking sound. The ball clattered to the floor and started rocking back and forth… and this time it fell still.

"NOOO!" Venus screamed as Wes's new Suicune was sent to the PC. "You Snagged it! Oh, I'm so glad that didn't go out live on the air!"

"It kinda did," said one of the cameramen, who had a look of smug satisfaction on his face. "Still glad you didn't give me that raise?"

Venus gave a hideous shriek, causing her crew to flee as though she'd used Roar. "How dare you!" she said to Wes. "How could I get bested by a mere boy?!"

"He's no boy," Rui said, standing beside Wes. "He's my man!"

Venus growled. "Remember this," she said threateningly to Wes. "I'll get you back for this!"

"Wes!" Rui exclaimed. "Let's go after her!"

"Ri-right!" Wes nodded, still thinking about how Rui had called him her man. Right! Giving chase to Venus! They couldn't chase Miror B. because they had to rescue Plusle, and Dakim's escape, well, they couldn't hope to keep up with that. But now? Venus was running away in an extravagant dress that was slowing her down! Wes hastened to send out his Pokémon and administer medicine just as a precaution, then he and Rui took off after Venus.


	19. Chapter 19: Having a Blast

Wes hurtled down the stairs, with Rui not far behind- she had only paused briefly to grab a grey binder she'd seen on the desk. This one read "Ein File F". As Venus was moving rather slowly, Wes and Rui slowed down to read it. "Let's see," murmured Rui. "It says 'Final Report'. OK… 'Some interesting discoveries were made about the purification process… several ways to open the heart's door… effects differ with the Pokémon… gradually regains its moves… purified Pokémon regain accumulated experience points… we knew this already," she said, shaking her head. "Let's move!"

They took off again, down the stairs, and through a corridor. Wes could see Venus go through a door across the room, and so he led the way through it as well… just in time to see Venus going down in an elevator. Wes pressed the call button, but the elevator did not return, even once Venus got out of it. Frustrated, Wes backtracked, and went through another door, this one leading to a very wide spiral staircase with spacious landings- perfect for conducting Pokémon battles, Wes realized. And as if to drive home the point, a number of Trainers seemed to be waiting on aforementioned steps, each intent on barring their way. "Oh, _this_ is gonna be fun," Wes remarked sarcastically.

Sure enough, the Trainers were intent on barring their way. Wes fought through each and every one of them, and what was more, Rui identified each of them as possessing a Shadow Pokémon. Wes was thankful he'd stocked up on Ultra Balls and Timer Balls, because he definitely needed them. The first Trainer, a woman who accused Wes and Rui of being spies, came at Wes with a number of weak Pokémon… and also a Gligar, which Rui identified as a Shadow Pokémon. Wes lucked out, Snagging this in a single Ultra Ball. The next obstacle was another woman, this one more provocatively dressed, and Rui identified her Stantler as a Shadow Pokémon almost immediately upon it being sent out. Since she saved that Stantler for last, Wes opted to try Timer Balls for this one, and it took several of them to securely Snag the Normal-type. The third woman was a lot more muscular, and after her Masquerain and Octillery were defeated by Wes's Plusle and Umbreon, she sent out a Piloswine which Rui identified as a Shadow Pokémon, as well as a Dunsparce, which Rui did not identify as a Shadow Pokémon. This prompted Wes to switch Plusle for Hariyama to handle Dunsparce. Piloswine, due to being immune to Plusle's Thunder Wave, proved slightly problematic, but it only took Wes a total of five Ultra Balls to snag it. Finally, they reached the bottom of the staircase, and saw the doorway Venus had fled through. Another woman was blocking their way, however, and she too battled Wes. This time, she led with her Shadow Pokémon, which was the Sneasel she sent out alongside her Seviper. Wes lucked out with this one- the first Ultra Ball he threw at him did the trick. The rest of the woman's team wasn't much of a match for the classic duo of Espeon and Umbreon, and before too much longer, Wes and Rui were strolling past her.

The doorway turned out to lead to some sort of train station, with some sort of high-tech train hovering above magnetic tracks. More to the point, however, Wes could see Venus standing on the platform, conferring with a pair of Cipher Peons. "Before that horrible boy can meddle anymore, I'll link up with Ein at the Shadow Pokémon Lab!" she said.

Rui stepped forward. "If you insist on calling him horrible, at least call him a man," she retorted.

"Eeek!" Venus shrieked, finally noticing the two. "Oh, why did you have to chase me here?! It's so unfair!"

"Life is unfair," snapped Wes.

"Tch," sighed Venus. "This isn't good. I can't lead them to the Lab…" With that, she and her cohorts hastened to board the train. Wes and Rui ran after them, but after searching up and down the high-tech engine, they couldn't find any of them anywhere. Confused, they exited to the platform, only to see Venus standing by the station door, smirking smugly. "Ohohoho!" she giggled. "You are _so_ easy to dupe! See?" she added, dangling a shiny silver key from her hand. "The key for the Shadow Liner is riiiiiight here. You didn't really think I'd just let you take our train? Beh! Bye-bye, and this time I mean it! Don't you dare forget about me!"

"Get back here!" Wes exclaimed, running after Venus as she fled the station. Wes took off in hot pursuit, but to his dismay, Venus was taking the elevator up. "Damn it!" roared Wes. "We'll have to take the stairs!"

"Uh, Wes?" Rui said.

"Rui, c'mon," Wes said. "We'll have to climb fast if we have any chance of catching up!"

"Wes?" repeated Rui.

"Rui, what?" Wes asked, wheeling around to face her.

In response, Rui smirked, holding up a shining silvery key. "Look what Venus dropped," she replied.

Wes stared at the key. How could he have missed that? He stared at the key for a moment, then threw his arms around Rui, who blushed and hugged him back. "Come on, "Wes said as they broke apart. "We got a train to catch!"

The Shadow Liner, as it happened, was not a difficult conveyance to operate. The Shadow Liner seemed to only have two stops, so all it required of Wes was to insert the key, and turn it. The train itself did the rest, and before long, they arrived at what had to be the Shadow Pokémon Lab. Wes and Rui grinned as they disembarked the train, but the grins faded as a pair of Cipher Peons approached them. "Yo, how's it going?" grinned one of the Peons. "Just getting off shift?"

"Uh… yeah," Wes replied, improvising on the spot. It wasn't his strongest suit outside of battle strategies, but maybe, just maybe, he and Rui could fake their way past these guys.

"Huh?" murmured the other Peon. "Wasn't Lady Venus supposed to be coming today?"

"Oh, you know Lady Venus," Rui replied. "Broke a nail."

"Yeah, that sure sounds like her," chuckled the first Peon. "So I guess we'll be taking the Shadow Liner back to her, then, let her get back here once she's done with her emergency manicure or whatever she gets done for that, right?"

Wes and Rui chuckled. "So true," Wes agreed. "Well, have a good one, fellas," he added, as he attempted to walk past them, but the second Peon barred their way.

"Wait a second…" he murmured, studying Wes and Rui intently. "I've seen your faces somewhere before…"

"You might have, yeah," Wes said, trying not to sound nervous. "We've been around here before, you might've seen us-"

"No, no, the blacklist!" exclaimed the second Peon! "You're Wes and Rui!"

"Wes and Rui?!" repeated the first Peon. "How did you get down here? Argh, this won't do! We can't let them into the Lab!" With that, they ran off towards what appeared to be the train station's exit.

Wes shrugged. "I thought we were pretty convincing," he said to Rui before they took off after the Peons.

As they neared the door, however, Wes and Rui were forced to stop suddenly, for a massive explosion rocked the building! "Whoa!" Rui exclaimed as the metal doors were practically blasted off their hinges. Cautiously, they made their way through the wrecked door, to see a gaping chasm blasted into the floor. There was no way across the room, and the Peons were on the other side already.

"Hah!" sneered the first grunt. "Take that and weep! You'll never be able to chase us now! Wahahaha!"

"…Dude," said the second Peon. "Overkill much? Don't you think that was overdoing things a little?"

"Well, I-" began the second Peon. "..uh… Well, see, the thing is… Uh… Well, it's too late now. C'mon, let's skedaddle!" And with that, they raced up the nearby flight of steps.

"OH, COME ON!" Wes roared. "How are we gonna get across this?"

"What's this?" Rui murmured, eyeing a shiny object in the corner. "Hey, Wes," she added, picking up the object. "Check this out- it's some kind of key…"

"Huh," Wes murmured, walking over to see what Rui was talking about. "Wait- Rui, come on, let's get back to the surface," he stated. "I have a hunch as to where this key goes. And what's this?" he added, picking up a grey disc off the ground. "U-Disk? Another one of those discs for the UFO in The Under, I'll bet."

"Let's see what that does on the way up," suggested Rui as they went back to the train station and boarded the Shadow Liner. "I mean, it probably goes up, but… would that mean it goes somewhere in Pyrite, or is there a secret cave somewhere in the chasm?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," shrugged Wes once the Shadow Liner got underway, returning to the station in The Under.

Once they returned to the main part of The Under, they managed to emerge in the lobby of the colosseum. Wes took this opportunity to have his Pokémon healed at the Pokémon Center, after which he finally returned to the machine and used the U-Disk.

True enough, the UFO took them up. Up, out of the chasm, and, oddly enough, into the upper levels of the windmill. Wes looked around the tiny floor, but it was Rui who spotted something. "Wes!" she exclaimed. "Is… is that…"

Wes looked, and did a double-take- it was a flute. A wooden flute. Colored a pale shade of green. "It can't be," he murmured, picking it up. "A Time Flute?"

"What's a Time Flute doing up here?" Rui wondered.

"Does it matter?" replied Wes, stowing it in the Snag Machine. "That's another six Shadow Pokémon purified instantly."

"But Wes, what if it belongs to that Chief guy?" asked Rui.

"Fine, we'll talk to him about it," Wes sighed. "But first let's get to the elevator and back to my bike, because we're not getting anywhere else in Pyrite Town from here."

Chief, as it transpired, was completely unaware that there'd been a Time Flute in the upper levels of the windmill, however many long years he'd spent cranking gears. He speculated that it might've been there since the windmill was built, which went back over a hundred years, which in turn he took to mean that anyone who might have tried to lay claim to the Time Flute would be long dead by now. Though a quite grotesque viewpoint, it nevertheless satisfied Rui. They also visited Duking, and discovered that Bitt had helped Silva escape. In the meantime, Wes also showed Duking and Marcia how well Plusle was doing. They were in awe of how much stronger Plusle looked, and Duking was dumbfounded when Plusle demonstrated her Thunder attack. After all of that, Wes and Rui boarded the motorcycle once more, and Wes took off for that odd, heavily guarded building in the middle of nowhere. He had a hunch, and he had to see whether it was correct.


	20. Chapter 20: Crossing the Ein

After a good long ride, the odd building came into view, early the next morning- Wes and Rui's original plan was to go directly to the lab, but by that point it had been getting late, so they wound up heading to Agate instead, where Eagun and Beluh graciously allowed them to spend the night once more. Now, the next morning, they were arriving at that building, with its electric fence going all around it.

"You're thinking this could be the Shadow Pokémon Lab?" Rui asked Wes as they got off the motorcycle.

"I'm not sure what else it could be," shrugged Wes. "But what else could be out here that's worth protecting with an electric fence?" With that, they approached an odd grey box standing next to the metal gate. Wes took the key Rui had found, and attempted to insert it into a keyhole on the box… and it went in! Grinning triumphantly, Wes turned the key, and the gate slid down into the ground. "Hah!" he exclaimed.

"So, I'm guessing this is-" began Rui.

"-the Shadow Pokémon Lab?" finished Wes. "I'd bet money on it. C'mon, let's see what we can do."

As they approached the building itself, they could see it had two doors. Wes and Rui split up and each tried to open one. Wes grunted as the door on the left didn't budge. "This one's not opening," he called to Rui.

"Good thing this one is!" Rui called back. Wes ran over- sure enough, Rui had gotten the door on the right open. They made their way inside, finding themselves in a small room with two other doors. One of the doors was also locked, but the other one slid open with ease, revealing an even smaller room, with numerous multicolored control panels. "Whoa," Rui murmured. "Who'd want to work with a purple-tinted computer monitor?"

"Yeesh," Wes agreed. "Yeah, that's just- wait a sec," he added, looking closer at one of the buttons on one of the control panels. "This one's labeled 'shutter switch'. Maybe it opens that other door."

"Let's try it," Rui said, pressing the button. Immediately, a whirring sound could be heard, but it didn't sound like the door in the other room. "Wait…" she murmured. "You think that could've been-"

"-the door I tried outside?" said Wes. "Let's go see."

And as they got outside, they discovered to their delight that the other door had indeed slid open. This one seemed to lead to some sort of storage room, which also housed a PC. Even so, Wes and Rui explored the room anyway, hoping to possibly discover a way to get further into the lab. Their search took them to a series of mazelike corridors, which led them to a flight of stairs going down, which led into another room with similarly twisting and turning paths. Further exploration of this floor led to them finding a Cipher Researcher who called Wes and Rui intruders, and attempted to battle Wes. However, given that his only Pokémon were a pair of Voltorb, Wes was able to claim victory with almost no effort, needing only Furret's Helping Hand and Feraligatr's Surf.

After the defeated researcher fled, Rui walked over to the table he had just been standing near. "Wes- look at this!" she said, picking up something small, flat, and rectangular off the table. "That door back near the… the computer room or whatever it was… you know, the one we thought the shutter switch would open? Wasn't there some sort of card slot or something in the wall next to it?"

Wes's eyes widened. "Yeah… now that you mention it, I think there was," he agreed. "So you think-"

"-this Card Key opens that door? That's exactly what I'm thinking," grinned Rui.

After that, Wes led the way down a nearby flight of stairs, and he and Rui gasped as they realized they recognized the room they wound up in.

"Wes!" murmured Rui. "This is the room they blew up to block our way!"

"OK, if there was any doubt we're in the Shadow Pokémon Lab, that pretty much killed it," stated Wes. "Make the Shadow Pokémon here, take them to the Shadow Liner, transport them to The Under, and distribute them there. And up in Pyrite until we dealt with Miror B.," he added. "They got one hell of a system going… well, they did until that one idiot blew this room up," he smirked.

Rui giggled. "Let's make sure the rest of their good system's shut down for good," she said.

"I'm on board with that," grinned Wes. "C'mon, let's use that Card Key!"

Indeed, Rui remembered correctly- there was a slot for the Card Key next to that door, and sliding the Card Key through it opened the door, leading them to an elevator which took them down underground, further into the lab.

Once they got off the elevator, they found themselves in a short corridor which branched out into three paths. They first tried the leftmost corridor, but that led to a locked door. There was no keyhole or card slot or anything- it looked as though it couldn't be opened from this side. Next, they tried the center path, which led them only to a lone researcher who initially mistook them for lab staff. Wes and Rui tried to go with this, but the researcher realized his mistake and battled them, using a Chinchou, a Magnemite, and an Electrike. This time, Wes used Umbreon and Hariyama to claim victory. There was another door in the room, but it was locked. This time, they could see a keyhole, with a small memo taped to the wall beside it.

"OK," said Rui. "Says here this door won't open without the… Down Saint Key?"

"What?" Wes said, reading the memo himself. It read; "The Down St. Key is needed to open this door." "Huh," he murmured. "I'm guessing they were going for 'Downstairs Key', but yeah, 'Down Saint Key' is what it reads like," he agreed.

This left them only one way- the rightmost path. This led them to a room that would've been a dead end… were it not for the elevator in the corner. Wes led the way towards it, only to stop short as a Cipher Peon dropped down from the ceiling. Wes had to recover quickly from the shock, as he came at them with his Pokémon, which, as Rui was quick to point out, included a Shadow Aipom. His other Pokémon went down without much trouble, but Aipom kept breaking out of the Snag Balls. In the end, due to how long the battle was taking, Wes wound up trying a Timer Ball, which turned out to do the trick. And this battle was only the beginning- once Wes and Rui took the elevator and got even further down into the laboratory, they were met with even more battles. They battled two more researchers, one in the room the elevator came out in, and the other one in a small dead-end room that was just up a flight of stairs.

The second researcher chuckled darkly as he withdrew his unconscious Magneton. "The Shadow Pokémon that were made here have been transported out already. Battle all you want- there's no stopping our Shadow Pokémon plan now!"

"You lie," Wes scoffed. Then, he noticed a key sitting on a nearby desk. He walked over and picked it up. "Ah," he grinned. "This is the Down Saint Key, isn't it?"

"It's pronounced 'Downstairs Key'!" snapped the researcher. "…I mean, no, no, it's not. It's my car key," he amended, far too late. Wes and Rui merely exchanged smirks and filed out of the room. "It's no use!" the researcher called after them. "It's the key to my car! It's not the Down Saint Key- dammit, now _I'm_ doing it!" he moaned. This got Wes and Rui laughing as they made their way back to the elevator.

"Car key, my ass," Wes smirked as the door slid open. "If this is his car, I don't think he's getting very good mileage." Rui chuckled at this, but once more, they were forced to stop short as yet another Cipher Peon dropped down from the ceiling. "Oh, come on," grumbled Wes.

"Uh-uh," smirked the female Peon. "You're not supposed to be in here!"

"I think I'll be the judge of that," Wes retorted, taking out two Poké Balls.

"Oh, we'll see," said the Peon, throwing two Poké Balls of her own. "Lare calls Carvanha and Houndour!"

Wes threw his Poké Balls as well. "Go, Hariyama! Go, Umbreon!" he exclaimed.

"Carvanha, Surf!" ordered Lare. "Houndour, use Flamethrower on Umbreon!"

"Hariyama! Vital Throw on Houndour!" Wes ordered. "Umbreon, use Secret Power on Carvanha!"

Carvanha and Houndour were able to unleash their moves first, but considering Hariyama and Umbreon were the most defensively skilled members of Wes's team, the attacks didn't hurt very much. In retaliation, Hariyama executed a perfect Vital Throw, knocking Houndour clean out. And then, to Rui's mild surprise, Umbreon's Secret Power did the same to Carvanha. "Wow," Rui remarked as Lare withdrew her Dark-types. "I didn't think Umbreon was that powerful."

"Nah, Umbreon's still better at defending than attacking," replied Wes. "It's just that Carvanha has all the defensive capabilities of wet tissue paper."

Lare gritted her teeth "OK, no more fooling around!" she snarled, throwing two more Poké Balls. "Lare calls Nuzleaf and Murkrow!"

Wes eyed up Lare's latter two Pokémon. They hardly looked more impressive than Carvanha and Houndour. Still, Murkrow could give Hariyama some trouble…

"…Wes?" murmured Rui.

Wes sighed. "Nuzleaf or Murkrow?" he asked her.

"Murkrow," replied Rui. "Be careful, Wes."

"Nuzleaf, Giga Drain on Umbreon!" ordered Lare. "Murkrow, Shadow Rush on Hariyama!"

"Umbreon, intercept and use Confuse Ray on Murkrow!" Wes ordered. "Hariyama, use Vital Throw on Nuzleaf!"

The plan went off without a hitch. Umbreon managed to confuse Murkrow before she got to attack, and Hariyama landed yet another super effective Vital Throw, this one knocking Nuzleaf out.

"Now- come back, Hariyama!" Wes said suddenly, withdrawing the Fighting-type, and throwing another ball. "Go, Plusle!" he yelled. "Thunder Wave! Umbreon, Bite!"

"Shadow Rush the rodent!" Lare ordered. However, Murkrow looked too disoriented to comply, and the paralysis she suffered at the hands of Plusle's Thunder Wave wasn't exactly helping. Umbreon then sank his teeth into the Darkness Pokémon, dealing some mild damage.

"Get a grip, Murkrow!" Lare exclaimed. "Shadow Rush this instant!"

"I don't think so!" Wes retorted, an Ultra Ball now in his left hand. "Go, Snag Ball!" And he heaved the sphere at the Dark/Flying-type, who was sucked inside. However, after just a few seconds, the ball shattered, and Murkrow was back out in the open.

"Ohhh, no!" Lare exclaimed. "You're not Snagging _my_ Shadow Pokémon!" With that, she reached for Murkrow's Poké Ball. Wes closed his eyes and pictured another Ultra Ball, but no good- the Snag Machine hadn't yet recharged. Usually this wasn't an issue, but Lare was the first one smart enough to try and withdraw her Shadow Pokémon _immediately_ after the Snag Machine was used.

"Wes!" Rui exclaimed- Lare was grabbing the ball and taking it off her belt.

"It's no good!" Wes replied. "I can't get another one ready fast enough!"

"No!" Rui exclaimed.

At that moment, however, Umbreon sprang into action. "Umbreon!" he exclaimed, his eyes glowing red. At the same time, a red glow came over Murkrow's body, and as Lare tried to withdraw Murkrow, the recall beam bounced off.

"What the-" began Rui, but Wes was positively beaming.

"Of course!" Wes exclaimed. "Umbreon, you just learned how to use Mean Look, didn't you?"

"Umbre, breon," Umbreon nodded proudly.

"Well done, Umbreon!" Wes grinned. "Now… This time, for sure!" he added, causing another Ultra Ball to appear in his left hand. "Go, Snag Ball!" All Lare could do this time was feebly order another Shadow Rush, but Murkrow never got the chance- this time, the Snag was successful.

"Hmph. I'll say this- you know what you're doing," Lare spat bitterly before running away.

"Damn straight he does!" Rui shouted after her.

The fights continued on as they continued to explore the depths of the lab. About the only person who didn't battle them was a man who offered Wes a Shadow Pokémon… only to reveal they'd all been taken away. Which Wes wasn't bothered by, for he was granted quite a few opportunities to Snag more. His next such opportunity came in the form of yet another Cipher Peon, whose Forretress Rui identified as a Shadow Pokémon. The Peon brought out Forretress very late in the battle, so Wes was able to Snag her in a single Timer Ball after wearing her down with Plusle and Espeon. Not long after, another Peon, this one a man, came at Wes with the Shadow Ariados Wes was surprised Dagur didn't use back in The Under. He lucked out with this one, Snagging it in the very first Ultra Ball he tried, leaving Furret and Feraligatr free to deal with the Peon's Rhyhorn and Grovyle. Afterwards, yet another Peon appeared, this one leading with her Linoone and Granbull, the latter of which Rui identified as yet another Shadow Pokémon. Wes had a hard time catching this one- his Shadow Rush was extremely powerful, and he'd taken out the Peon's other Pokémon beforehand. It got to the point where Wes started using Timer Balls, and eventually, one of those did the trick. These Snags were interspersed with the occasional researcher- those, it seems, were not entrusted with Shadow Pokémon, though their choice in Pokémon did leave Wes wishing at least one of his Pokémon had a Ground-type move.

After beating one of these researchers, Wes smirked and withdrew Furret and Espeon. "And another one down," he said to Rui.

The researcher scowled. "Alright, maybe security _was_ doing their job," he conceded. "But this is as far as you two will go!" he added, dashing over to the wall. He pulled a red lever, and almost immediately, a loud siren blared throughout the building. All the lights turned red. "Wahaha!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "Now you're stuck! There's no escaping the Lab for you!"

As the alarm started, Rui held onto Wes, who held onto her in turn- Wes could tell how scared Rui was from this, and he wanted to help her calm down. He was freaking out a little himself on the inside, but he remained composed. Once Rui had calmed down, Wes let go of her, sent out his entire team, and hastened to administer Hyper Potions and Full Heals as needed. "Come on," Wes said to Rui. "Let's see just how hard it'll be for us to escape this lab. Rui was still a little freaked out, but she nodded, trusting Wes- she knew what he and his Pokémon were capable of, and knowing that that kind of power was helping to keep her safe, it was a great comfort to her, and so they continued down the hallway. A locked door barred their way, and next to it was a keypad featuring images of Pokémon. Instead of trying to figure it out, however, Wes simply had Hariyama break it down with Cross Chop.

As it happened, only two more Cipher Peons showed up to bar their way. The first was a woman whose team was pretty easily defeated, and her Shadow Vibrava pretty easily Snagged. The second was none other than Skrub, the Peon from the Relic Forest, who had evidently not been issued a Shadow Pokémon to replace HItmontop. His Geodude and Wynaut had evolved, and he now had a Medicham, but Wes ultimately had no trouble defeating him with Feraligatr and Plusle. Finally, they came to a staircase leading to the lowest level of the lab. They found themselves in an open area, where there stood a scientist on the other end, working with a computer.

"…Good," the man murmured. "The disc has been scrubbed of all data. That's done it." As he said this, he ejected a CD from the computer and set it down on the desk. "Heh… maybe I should've asked Skrub to do this, just for the pun." Wes and Rui couldn't help but chuckle at this. They quickly stopped, realizing what they were doing, but the man had noticed, and wheeled around. "Waah!" he exclaimed. "How did you get in without my notice?!" he demanded.

"I'm gonna put my money on incompetent security staff," quipped Rui.

"Ah, I see," the man murmured, nodding as he eyed up Wes. "You must be the much-talked-about Wes."

"You've heard of me," replied Wes.

"As has everyone in Cipher," the man retorted. "Little did I expect to see you here, in my Shadow Pokémon Lab."

"Well, here I am," said Wes. "And… this being your lab, I'm guessing you're Ein, then?"

Ein smirked. " _You've_ heard of _me_ ," he replied.

"Your friend Dakim," said Wes. "He may have mentioned you once or twice."

Ein scoffed. "That oaf. I _told_ Master Nascour not to promote him to Admin, told him to keep him a Peon, but _noooooo_ , nobody listens to Ein. I'm only the man behind the entire Shadow Pokémon plan, Mew forbid anyone takes my suggestions! You know, I should've given _him_ Sudowoodo, and given Entei to Miror B. The guy's nine kinds of weird and creepily obsessed with dancing, but he at least gets stuff done…" He shook his head. "But back to the matter at hand," he added. "I won't allow anyone to interfere with our Shadow Pokémon plan. You've come all this way, so allow me to treat you to a battle for your efforts," he smirked. "And I shall acquaint you with the power of _my_ Shadow Pokémon!"

In response, Wes produced a pair of Poké Balls from his pocket. "Bring it," he responded.

Ein smirked and threw two Poké Balls of his own. "Lanturn! Huntail!" he exclaimed, unleashing a pair of fish who flopped about on the floor.

Wes threw his own Poké Balls. "Plusle! Feraligatr!" he called, unleashing the bipedal Water-type and the small Electric-type.

"Start with Rain Dance!" Ein ordered, and in an instant, rain was pouring in the Shadow Pokémon Lab. Ein hastily pressed a button, and protective covers jutted out of the walls, shielding the computers from the rain.

Wes smirked. "Feraligatr, use Bite on Lanturn!" he ordered. "Plusle, hit Huntail with Thunder!"

"Huntail, Confuse Ray!" snapped Ein. "Lanturn, Hydro Pump!"

Huntail went first, shining a dazzling light at Feraligatr, dazing and disorienting the Big Jaw Pokémon. Despite this, however, he managed a powerful Surf, which didn't do much to either enemy. Plusle's Thunder, on the other hand, knocked Huntail out in one shot. Lanturn unleashed Hydro Pump, but Plusle was able to evade the pressurized blast of water. Very narrowly, but she evaded it nonetheless.

"Grr… return, Huntail!" snapped Ein, withdrawing the pure Water-type. "Now," he added, throwing another ball. "Go! Altaria!"

"Come back, Feraligatr!" Wes said, withdrawing his confused croc. "Espeon!" he added, throwing another ball. "Use Psybeam on Lanturn! And Plusle, use Thunder on Altaria!"

"Thunder on Espeon, Ice Beam on Plusle!" exclaimed Ein.

Once more, the attacks flew. This time, each attack hit its intended target- Plusle's Thunder struck Altaria; Espeon's Psybeam hit Lanturn; Lanturn's Thunder hit Espeon; and Altaria's Ice Beam pushed Plusle back a little. None of them were knocked out, however.

"Again!" Wes ordered. "Thunder and Psybeam!"

Ein gritted his teeth- before he could react, both Lanturn and Altaria were knocked out. "Not bad," he remarked to Wes as he withdrew them both. "You are every bit as powerful as they say. But," he added with a smirk. "The real battle begins now." He threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Golbat!" he exclaimed. Wes did not look impressed by the Poison/Flying-type, and Ein picked up on this. "And now," he added, throwing an Ultra Ball. "I've saved the best for last! Attack now- Raikou!"

"Of course," Wes sighed as the legendary Electric-type appeared before him. "And let me guess," he added, looking at Rui, who was pointing a shaking finger at Raikou. "Shadow?"

"Sh-Sh-Shadow," Rui confirmed.

"Oho," Ein murmured with interest. "And this is the girl who can identify Shadow Pokémon by sight? Well, well. Once Raikou disposes with your Pokémon, I can dispose with her- I'll be clearing out multiple impediments to the Shadow Pokémon plan in one go."

In response, Wes stepped in front of Rui. "You'll have to go through me," he responded. "Even if you beat my Pokémon, you'll have to go through me."

Ein chuckled. "How adorable," he said. "Golbat, Wing Attack! Raikou, Thunder!"

Wes sprang into action. "Helping Hand and Thunder on Golbat!" he ordered.

Once Plusle was powered up, she sparked with electricity. "PLAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she exclaimed, firing a sizzling bolt of intense lightning. Golbat was unconscious before even hitting the ground, and Ein knew it. Raikou, on the other hand, rammed into Espeon with great force. He didn't faint from the blow, but it looked to be a close thing.

"Reflect and Thunder Wave!" Wes ordered.

"Thunder!" snapped Ein.

The attacks were unleashed all at once. Espeon erected the Reflect; Plusle unleashed a weak jolt of electricity that locked up the legendary's muscles; and Raikou unleashed a much stronger jolt of electricity that knocked Plusle clean out, despite the type matchup.

"Plusle, come back!" Wes said, withdrawing the Electric-type. At that moment, the rain let up. "Umbreon!" he added, throwing another ball. "Mean Look now! Espeon, Psybeam!"

"Shadow Rush!" Ein said. "Finish off Espeon!"

Raikou, however, struggled to move. Ein didn't bother trying to withdraw Raikou, knowing Umbreon's Mean Look was in effect. Espeon also managed to unleash the Psybeam, dealing decent damage to Raikou.

Wes smirked. "Helping Hand and Bite!" he ordered.

"Raikou! Shadow Rush now!" Ein commanded, but once again, Raikou was unable to comply- whether due to paralysis or if Bite caused it to flinch. It was looking weaker than ever.

"Alright!" Wes said, a Timer Ball already forming in his left hand. "Go, Snag Ball!"

"Gah!" Ein grunted. "I should've recognized that thing…" Alas, he could only watch helplessly as his Raikou was sucked into the Timer Ball… and then smirk his satisfaction as Raikou broke free. "Good. Now use your Shadow Rush!" he commanded.

"Espeon!" exclaimed Wes, but the Psychic-type was already knocked out. He hastened to send out Hariyama in Espeon's place, and in no time, was already throwing another Timer Ball. And this one… Raikou did not break free from.

"…This power," Ein murmured, stunned as Wes's new Raikou was sent to the PC. "It… it defies belief!"

"And I believe this means I won," Wes smirked.

"Hmph!" snapped Ein. "So what? Your struggle to get here was all in vain!"

"Was it?" Wes retorted.

"It was!" insisted Ein. "The Shadow Pokémon we produced here? They've all been moved elsewhere. Including the ultimate Shadow Pokémon I created for the boss," he added with a smug smirk. "So yeah, you managed to get in here, and I will give credit where credit is due, as that was no small feat. But ultimately, that monumental effort was for nothing." On that note, Ein took a small device out of his pocket and pressed a button. Immediately, he shimmered and vanished, as though he had teleported.

"I don't like him," Rui shook her head. "I mean, I don't like any of these Cipher creeps, but him least of all."

"I'm with you on that," Wes nodded.

"Hey," Rui added, now with a small smile. "Um… thanks for what you said, by the way," she said to Wes. "About how Ein would have to go through you to get me, and not just your Pokémon. That… that meant so much to me."

"Yeah, well… you mean that much to me," Wes replied with a smile. Rui smiled back, and the two of them shared a brief kiss.

"Wes, you're so sweet... hey, wait, what's this?" Rui added, noticing the CD Ein had left on the desk.

"Ein said something about scrubbing data from it," Wes murmured. "If he really did wipe out all the data on it, not sure how much use it'd be…"

"…Unless," Rui said, with a sly grin. "Unless we had it looked at by someone who's a real genius with computers. Someone who might be able to recover data that Ein might have missed."

"Who do we know who's good enough with computers to-" Wes began. He stopped, however, his eyes widening. Rui's smile widened, and she nodded as she and Wes both said the name together.

"Nett!"


	21. Chapter 21: Keeping it Realgam

Contrary to what that one researcher had said, Wes and Rui were able to exit the lab with no trouble whatsoever. Nobody appeared to challenge them to battle, and before long, they were back on Wes's motorcycle, riding off to The Under. Wes had even found yet another disc on the way out- this one was a TM, and one containing Earthquake, no less. Wes held onto this- he had an idea as to which Pokémon to teach it to…

"Ooh," Nett murmured as Wes handed him the Data Rom. "Now this looks interesting! Lemme scope it out right away." With that, he inserted the Data Rom into his computer and started working on it, his eyes focused intensely on the screen. A few minutes later, he spoke up again. "Oh, hey! It seems this Data Rom contains a list of Shadow Pokémon they've made so far… or at least, it did," he added, his grin fading somewhat. "Seems like they've wiped the data…" However, his grin returned in full force. "Wes, please leave this with me," he said. "I'll get the information out of here, even if I have to go over the whole thing little by little. You just leave it to me."

"Alright," Wes agreed. "You have my P*DA number- whatever you can find out, shoot me an email."

"Will do," nodded Nett.

The next couple of days were the quietest ones Wes and Rui had seen in some time. There was, for a while, no word on Cipher. So Wes and Rui took the opportunity to head out to Mt. Battle. Wes had wanted to try the 100-Trainer challenge for a while now, and it proved to be good training for his Pokémon as well. He didn't clear all 10 areas, but he did manage to get through the first eight before finally deciding to put the challenge on hold- the Pokémon owned by the Trainers in each area got progressively stronger, starting out laughably weaker than anything Wes had. By the time he was done battling Shobon, the eighth Area Leader, he knew he had to give it a rest- his Pokémon had pulled through and secured him the victory, but it was a close thing. It came down to Furret landing a powerful Hyper Beam on Shobon's Weezing and knocking it out. Moreover, in the process of undertaking this challenge, Wes found his Pokémon getting steadily stronger from the fighting, and he also used his TM to teach Earthquake to one of his Pokémon.

Each evening, Wes and Rui rode out to the Outskirt Stand for dinner after Wes was done at Mt. Battle for the day, after which they would find somewhere to stay for the night, which usually meant riding to Agate Village and staying at Eagun and Beluh's house. And all the while, the two of them were thoroughly enjoying themselves, not least of all due to being with each other. At one point, Wes took another six Shadow Pokémon down to the Relic Stone, and by playing the Time Flute he and Rui had found in Pyrite Town's windmill, got Celebi to appear, purifying Raikou, Suicune, Forretress, Granbull, Stantler, and Hitmontop all at once. He also spent some of his spare time working with other Shadow Pokémon. He bought some scents at the Agate Village Pokémon Mart, and found out that massaging Shadow Pokémon with them helped to open up their hearts. As a result, he managed to purify Dunsparce and Qwilfish, as well as Skiploom, Quagsire, Noctowl, Slugma, and Ledian.

It was early in the morning, almost a week after Wes and Rui had infiltrated the Shadow Pokémon Lab, when finally they got some news. Wes was awoken by his P*DA's ringtone, and upon checking the device, found something that woke him up.

"Rui, wake up," Wes said, holding his P*DA. "Listen to this."

"Mmmph… huh? Wha?" Rui murmured groggily, slowly starting to wake up. "Wes? What's going on?"

"Nett just emailed me," Wes stated. "He didn't get anything about the Shadow Pokémon list yet, but it's just as big- maybe bigger. You know that construction site not far from Pyrite?"

"Yeah, the one where they're building that huge tower?" yawned Rui. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, construction's finished," said Wes. "It's called Realgam Tower."

"I don't get it," Rui replied. "What's that got to do with Cipher?"

"Everything," Wes said grimly. "Realgam Tower is Cipher's base."

 _That_ woke Rui up. After yet another good breakfast, and a quick trip to the Pokémon Center to ensure Wes's Pokémon were fighting fit, they hopped on Wes's motorcycle and rode off towards where Wes remembered the construction site being.

Only the construction site was a construction site no more. Wes and Rui's faces registered identical looks of shock and awe as they saw the finished product- Realgam Tower was humongous. And the outside area looked incredible- a shiny, clean floor made of marble, with two fountains flanking the entrance. Each fountain sported a rotating crystal sculpture of a Sudowoodo. A pair of identically-dressed guards in black suits stood near the entrance.

"Hello! Welcome to Realgam Tower," smiled one of the guards as Wes and Rui got close. "Today is our opening day."

"We've been expecting you," the other guard smirked. "Please, do go in."

"Oh, yeah, _that's_ not ominous," Wes murmured to Rui. They continued on, the door ahead sliding open automatically.

They found themselves in a small room with three other doors. In the center of the room stood a miniature model of the tower atop a table. They first went through the door to their left, and found themselves on a moving platform which shuttled them into the next small room. And once they entered that room, they stopped short, surprised at who they saw.

"Fuohohoho!" Miror B. exclaimed, grinning upon spotting Wes and Rui. "You ruined things in Pyrite for us, don't think I've forgotten!"

"Miror B.," Wes said through gritted teeth. "We missed you."

"Yeah," Rui agreed. "In fact, we're not done missing you, so if you could just go, that would be great."

"Go?" repeated Miror B. "Oh, no, no! That just ain't so. See, you know, we're not about to lose over and over to you." With that, he took a pair of Poké Balls out of his afro. "This time, I'll win! And I mean it this time!"

Wes took two Poké Balls out of his trenchcoat. "Bring it," he challenged Miror B.

Miror B. "Let the music play!" But then he shook his head. "Oh, never mind that- we'll battle right away!" Oddly, without attempting to play his usual salsa music, he threw the Poké Balls. "Ludicolo, and Golduck, let's groove!" Miror B. sang.

"Go, Plusle! Go, Espeon!" Wes exclaimed, throwing his own Poké Balls. The four Pokémon materialized simultaneously.

"Golduck! Ice Beam!" sang Miror B. "Ludicolo, Rain Dance!"

"Helping Hand and Thunder on Golduck!" Wes exclaimed.

Plusle wisely waited until Ludicolo had made it rain, then launched the boosted Thunder attack. Golduck didn't even get a chance to use Ice Beam, and Miror B. substituted another Ludicolo for Golduck. "All right!" said Miror B. "Double Giga Drain!"

"Plusle, use Thunder!" Wes ordered. "Espeon, use Psychic!"

The pair of Pokémon focused their attacks on one Ludicolo. While the other one sapped some energy from Espeon, he and Plusle managed to knock out the other one.

"Now come back, my Ludicolo!" Miror B. exclaimed, withdrawing the unconscious Water/Grass-type. "And go, go, Loudred!" he added, throwing another ball, this one unleashing a large-mouthed Normal-type.

"We can handle that," Wes smirked. "Psychic and Thunder on the other Ludicolo!"

"Giga Drain, my Ludicolo!" said Miror B. "Loudred, Earthquake!"

"What!?" Wes exclaimed, but indeed, after Plusle and Espeon managed to take out the other Ludicolo, Loudred shook the entire room. Espeon managed to hang on, but Plusle wasn't so fortunate. Wes and Miror B. withdrew their fallen Pokémon, and each sent out another one. "Feraligatr!" Wes shouted.

"Armaldo!" Miror B. sang.

Wes smirked- Miror B. had sent out a Rock-type. Against a Water-type. And it was raining. This was gonna be _good_. "Helping Hand and Surf!" he ordered. This wiped the grin off of Miror B.'s face, and indeed, before he could give another order, both of his Pokémon had been totally knocked out.

"Oh, no, no!" Miror B. sang sadly as he withdrew Loudred and Armaldo. "I'm an awesome dancer… but I can't win in battles!"

"Well, he's not wrong," Wes remarked to Rui. "Guy's a jerk, but he's got moves."

"I guess so," Rui conceded.

This elicited a smile from Miror B. "Well, well," he said. "Seems to me you two have better taste than I initially thought. You know… I'll be honest with you two… this life of crime, it ain't my jam."

"Then why join Cipher at all?" asked Wes. "Why be a part of this whole Shadow Pokémon deal, kidnapping Plusle, all of that?"

"Oh, that Nascour, he was quite persuasive," replied Miror B. "He complimented my dancing skills, and the way I strategized with my Pokémon, and he figured I'd make for a powerful admin. He tempted me with the allure of a unique and powerful sort of Pokémon, which you may recall being the Sudowoodo you Snagged from me. What can I say? Flattery works on me."

"So, what, are still gonna do stuff with Cipher?" asked Wes. "Me and Rui, we're trying to take Cipher down. If you'd be inclined to help us…"

Miror B. thought about this. "I'm not hating the beat you're laying down," he said thoughtfully. "I'm not so sure exactly what I could do to help you out, at least not in the long run… in the meantime, however, I can give you this." As he spoke, he pulled an ID badge out of his afro, colored a bright red. "You'll need this if you want to get to Nascour," he said, and he handed it over to Wes. "Consider this my apology for the hard time I gave you back in Pyrite."

Wes exchanged looks with Rui. "I think I can forgive him," he shrugged. "Wanting out of a life of crime… sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

"Fair enough," giggled Rui, as she kissed Wes on the cheek. Wes smiled at this, then accepted the Red ID Badge from Miror B.

"Fuohoho! The two of you make quite the cute couple," Miror B. grinned. "Now go on- this place is big, you've barely begun to scratch the surface!"

And so, Wes and Rui backtracked to the first room, and from there, they took the door directly across from the entrance. This next room contained a healing machine and a PC- a miniature Pokémon Center. "Geez," Rui murmured as Wes healed up his Pokémon. "This place has everything. What's next, a Pokémon Mart?"

"It wouldn't surprise me at this point," said Wes. He led the way back through the door, and he and Rui backtracked to the first room, and went through the only remaining door. The moving platform took them to an empty room, and through the other door in said room was another moving platform. This one took them to a dead-end room where stood none other than-

"Dakim?!" exclaimed Wes and Rui simultaneously.

"Daahahahah!" Dakim laughed. "Wes! Good to see you! Well, are you ready? I did say I wanted another battle!"

Wes couldn't help but grin. "Fair enough," he conceded. "Fair warning, though, I've improved since last time."

"I expected nothing less," Dakim grinned back, already throwing two Poké Balls from the chain around his neck. "Dakim calls Flygon and Claydol!"

Wes threw two Poké Balls as well. "Go, Furret! Go, Feraligatr!" he exclaimed.

"Daahahah! Double Earthquake!" Dakim commanded.

"Helping Hand and Blizzard!" Wes ordered.

Even as the room shook from the simultaneous Earthquake attacks, Feraligatr still unleashed a howling snowstorm from his jaws, powered up by Furret's Helping Hand. Flygon fainted immediately, but Claydol at least held on.

"Much stronger!" Dakim said approvingly as he withdrew Flygon. He then plucked another Poké Ball off the chain and threw it. "Now, Dakim calls Forretress!" he added, as the steel-shelled insect appeared.

"Helping Hand and Surf!" ordered Wes.

"Dahaha! Use Earthquake, both of you!" commanded Dakim, but before either Claydol or Forretress could attack, Feraligatr swamped them with a powerful tidal wave, made even stronger by Furret. This knocked Claydol clean out, and Forretress wasn't looking too hot, either. However, after it used Earthquake, both Furret and Feraligatr fainted.

"You're stronger, too," Wes observed as he withdrew his Pokémon. "OK," he added, throwing two more Poké Balls as Dakim threw another ball. "Espeon! Hariyama!"

"Dakim calls Whiscash!" Dakim exclaimed, sending out a dark blue fish to face Espeon and Hariyama.

"Espeon, use Reflect!" ordered Wes. "Hariyama, Earthquake!"

"HariiiiYAMAAAA!" Hariyama bellowed, stomping the floor and causing the entire room to shake. Espeon was caught up in the attack, but thanks to the Reflect, took minimal damage. Whiscash didn't seem too badly hurt, but for Forretress, this was the straw that broke the Numel's back.

"Daaaahahaha!" Dakim was laughing as he withdrew Forretress. "Excellent! I love that move! Now, Dakim calls Houndoom!" he added. "Houndoom, Protect! Whiscash, Earthquake!"

"Helping Hand and Vital Throw!" Wes ordered.

Espeon and Hariyama withstood the shaking, and once it was done, the powered-up Fighting-type executed the powerful Fighting move, and Whiscash fainted, leaving only Houndoom. Wes smirked.

"Houndoom! Fire Blast!" Dakim ordered.

"Helping Hand and Cross Chop!" Wes ordered.

"Hariiiiiiiiyama!" exclaimed the Fighting-type, charging forwards. The Fire Blast made contact, and left nasty burns, but to Wes's mild surprise, this only seemed to strengthen Hariyama's resolve, and his attack power as well. This gave Wes a shrewd idea as to what that was about, so while Hariyama was slamming Houndoom into a wall, Wes took out his P*DA and checked Hariyama's data- sure enough, his Ability was Guts, so the burn, far from weakening Hariyama, was only making it stronger. Between that, the type advantage, and the Helping Hand, it came as no surprise that Houndoom fainted.

"Ahaha… ahahahah… DAAAAHAHAHAHAH!" Dakim was laughing. "Oh, now that was a battle! Wes, my friend, you are one of the strongest Trainers I have ever battled! In all the time I've been battling, my only losses came at the hands of Nascour and you. In fact, that is why I joined Cipher- Nascour promised me strong opponents. Until I met you, I thought he had lied to me."

"Huh. Well, thanks," Wes said, taken slightly aback by Dakim's praise.

"Yes… I am beginning to think that perhaps joining Cipher was a mistake for me," Dakim stated. "Tell me, is the stubborn Wurmple with the Time Flute OK?"

"His name is Vander," said Wes. "And yeah, he's fine."

"Daahah… Good," nodded Dakim. "If you see him again, you should tell him I apologize. I had my orders to retrieve the Time Flute. It was nothing personal. I would go to tell him myself, were I not worried he would flee at the sight of my beautiful muscles."

"I'll do that," Wes nodded. "So… you want out of Cipher?"

"Yes… I think so," Dakim nodded back. "I do not need to be in Cipher to battle strong Trainers. Here," he added, taking an ID badge out of his pocket. It was shaped like the one Miror B. had, except it was green. "You aim to take down Cipher, yes? This will be useful to you then. As for me… I may be able to help you out in another way. Go on for now… I must think about something."

"Well," Wes remarked as he healed up his Pokémon, using the healing machine they had stumbled across earlier. "That's two Cipher Admins we've managed to turn good. Who'd have thought?"

"I was kinda hoping Dakim might do something like that," said Rui. "Didn't see that coming from Miror B., though. Not at all."

"Yeah, I hear you," agreed Wes. "So, let's keep going," he added, pocketing his Poké Balls and leading the way to the next doorway.


	22. Chapter 22: What's the Big ID-uh?

A couple of moving platforms later, Wes and Rui found themselves in a room with two more doorways, each door guarded by a Cipher Peon. Wes battled one of them, who used a variety of Grass-types, and according to Rui, a Shadow Sunflora among them. Feraligatr's Blizzard did very well in this battle, and Wes was able to Snag Sunflora with just a single Ultra Ball. Once she lost, she fled, and they went through the door. It led to another dead end… and Cipher Admin Venus.

"Well, if it isn't you two," smirked Venus.

"Oh, great," said Wes, rolling his eyes. "How wonderful, we get to see Lady Venus again."

"Now you cut it out with that sarcasm!" snapped Venus. "I'll have you know I'm beloved by everyone in The Under! Everyone loves me!"

"Wow," quipped Rui. "Bad fashion sense _and_ delusional."

"Wha- Bad fash- I- How _dare_ you!" Venus spluttered. "Oh, that does it! You two are in for it now!" As she spoke, she took two Poké Balls out of her dress. "Prepare to be destroyed-"

"Fuohohoho!"

Wes and Rui exchanged confused looks as the faint sound of salsa music met their ears. Then, as the door opened up behind them, they hastened to step aside. "Miror B.?" said Venus in tones of surprise. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, why, none other than yourself," Miror B. grinned, his trademark salsa beat emanating from his afro. "With Cipher's goal of world domination so close at hand, why, I figured this called for some dancing! But what good is dancing by one's self? It is oh, so, pointless to dance when there's nobody to watch, or to dance with you. And so I figured, why not share in this celebratory atmosphere with the most beautiful of my comrades in arms?" he concluded, grinning at Venus.

Venus giggled. "Oh, Miror B.," she replied. "You do know how to flatter a woman. And your taste in music is quite good… certainly, let's dance."

"Fuohoho!" Miror B. exclaimed. "Let the music play!" With that, to Wes and Rui's mild bewilderment, Miror B. began dancing with Venus. Wes and Rui simply stared at this sight, unsure how to react to it. And then, with movements so deft and stealthy that Wes almost didn't notice them, Miror B. swiped something out of Venus's dress and slipped it to Wes- it was yet another ID badge, not unlike Miror B.'s Red ID Badge or Dakim's Grn ID Badge. This one, however, was a deep shade of blue. Wes and Rui looked at each other, decided on the spot not to comment on this, and instead slipped quietly back out to the moving platform.

Back in the previous room, Wes challenged the Cipher Peon who was guarding the other door. This one seemed to specialize in Ice-types. Rui was quick to identify his Delibird as a Shadow Pokémon, and annoyingly, this took a lot longer to Snag than Sunflora. Once all of the Peon's other Pokémon were defeated, Wes started using Timer Balls instead of Ultra Balls, and these seemed to fare better- it only took a few of those before Delibird was caught.

Once they got to the room the Peon had been guarding, the first thing Wes noticed was the two doors. One was directly across the room from them, but the other one, to their left, was huge, and also locked tight. There were four spheres protruding from the wall, designed to look like Poké Balls, but the top half of each one was a different color. Moreover, the button on each one contained a slot, which Wes realized the ID badges would fit nicely into. Sure enough, the Red, Grn, and Blu ID Badges fit perfectly into their color coordinated slots. While Wes was doing this, neither he nor Rui noticed a certain large person making his way across the room.

"OK, there's still a yellow badge we need," Wes stated. "And if our past experience is anything to go by, I'm willing to bet we'll need to find Ein. C'mon, this is the only way we haven't yet gone," he said to Rui, leading her through the other door.

A few moving platforms later, Wes and Rui found themselves approaching another dead end. What they expected to see was Ein standing in the room, almost as if he was waiting for them to arrive. What they didn't expect, however, was the sight that met their eyes.

Ein was in the room, alright, but he wasn't alone. It became clear that Dakim must have walked past them in the room with the large, locked door, because he was standing there now. He had Ein by the collar of his shirt, and was suspending him in midair while the mad scientist made some very odd noises.

"DO IT!" Dakim was roaring to Ein. "GIVE THEM YOUR ID BADGE OR I PUNCH YOU IN FACE!"

"OK! OK!" gasped Ein. "Here!" he choked, managing to fish an ID badge of a very sunny shade of yellow out of his lab coat pocket and tossed it at Wes. In response, Dakim released his grip, allowing the scientist to collapse in a heap. "Fine… take it," Ein said to Wes, attempting to sound bitter while attempting to catch his breath.

"I said give it to them!" Dakim exclaimed. "Pick it up and hand it to them properly!"

"OK, fine, you big oaf," grumbled Ein. "Holy crap, your feet are huge," he added, noticing the considerable size of Dakim's feet. "No wonder you don't wear shoes- OK, I'm picking it up!" he added hastily, for Dakim had made a fist with his right hand and punched it into his left. Ein hastened to pick up the Ylw ID Badge and offer it to Wes. "Here! Take it!" he said.

Wes and Rui exchanged smirks. "I don't know," Wes replied. "If you're gonna be that rude to us, I'm not so sure we want the thing…"

"You heard them!" Dakim roared. "If you like having your head connected to the rest of you, you will be nice to them!"

Ein sighed. This was beyond demeaning. Then again, he had to look at it logically- his odds of getting on Dakim's bad side and living to tell the tale were extremely slim, so with that realization, he determined that swallowing his pride maximized his chances of survival. "Mr. Wes… Miss Rui," he said through clenched teeth, as though each syllable was causing him unendurable pain. "…Please accept this ID badge from me… with my… apologies… for being so rude."

Wes chuckled as he took the Ylw ID Badge out of Ein's hand. "Accepted," he grinned. Ein glared at Wes, but dared not respond, not with Dakim so close, and so capable of inflicting pain upon his person.

"Daahahaha!" Dakim laughed. "Now crawl out of here like the Wurmple that you are!" he said to Ein. And Ein, not wanting to find himself on the business end of one of Dakim's fists, did indeed crawl out to the moving platform. Once he was gone, Dakim turned to Wes and Rui. "So I thought about how I could help you," said Dakim.

"I noticed," grinned Wes. "This certainly does the trick."

"First I went to talk to Miror B., but he was not at his post," said Dakim. "So then I went to talk to Venus, but… the less said about what I saw, the better," he shuddered. "So then I went to Ein. I tried to convince him to turn on Cipher as I have done, and he refused. So I went to plan B."

"I'm guessing plan B involved threatening to punch his face?" said Rui.

"Daahahaha!" Dakim laughed in response. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that to that puny little Wurmple! Bossing us around like he's Nascour, just because he's the one who made the Shadow Pokémon… I always hated him. But you two," Dakim added with a grin. "You two I like. I hope we meet again," he said, as he stepped out- once he stepped over the doorway, the moving platform zipped right back to him. "Dakim away!" Dakim exclaimed, as the moving platform moved him back to the previous room.

"…I'll just come right out and say it," said Wes. "That was awesome."

Rui nodded and giggled. "Did you see the look on Ein's face when he was being forced to apologize to us? He looked like it would actually kill him to be nice!"

"I can't say I blame Dakim for wanting to threaten him," said Wes as he and Rui stepped out of the room and waited for the moving platform to return. "Oh!" he added, hearing a ringtone coming from his pocket. "An email? Let's see…" Once they'd taken the moving platform back to the previous room, Wes read his latest email. "…Are you kidding?" he murmured. "Rui… your grandfather is a cool guy, but he is hopeless with electronics."

"Sounds like Grandpa, alright," Rui nodded. "What's it say?"

"Lemme read it to you," said Wes. "Ahem. 'Dear Wes. This is Eagun of Agate Village. I just wanted to let you know this is my first electronic mail. I am not familiar with high-tech things, so I have only learned how to type in words. Incidentally, if you are ever in'."

"…In where?" prompted Rui.

"That's it," Wes replied. "He went over the character limit."

Rui sighed. "Like I said, typical Grandpa. We might as well go see what he wants."

"Well, alright," sighed Wes. "But considering how far we're getting into Cipher's base here, he better have something really good for us."

Back at Agate Village, Rui smirked at Wes, who was staring in shock at what Eagun had just handed him. "How's that for something really good?" she quipped.

Wes could not speak. Eagun had just handed him a sphere, the top half of which was purple. It featured a white letter M, sandwiched between two pink circular bumps. He could only stare in shock at the Master Ball Eagun had just handed him.


	23. Chapter 23: Going, Going, Gonzap

"Eagun," Wes murmured. "I… I don't know what to say. Thank you!"

"Ohoho, think nothing of it," smiled Eagun. "You two are working to bring down the criminal syndicate threatening world peace. I doubt I'd ever have any use for that Master Ball, whereas you, Wes, I'm sure will put it to good use. Glad to see my email reached you safely," he added.

"Uh, yeah, about that," Rui said. "We got it, alright, but there's a limit on how long they can be. It got cut off before it got to anything important."

"Oh?" murmured Eagun. Beluh smacked him upside the head, but gave a small smile nonetheless. "Well, regardless, you two got my email and knew to come here. That's something," he said optimistically.

"It wasn't a bad first attempt," Wes said fairly. "Alright," he added to Rui. "Let's do this thing."

Back in Realgam Tower, in the room with the large door, Wes inserted the Ylw ID Badge in the corresponding slot, and just like that, the big door slid open. As they attempted to walk through, however, a Cipher Peon dropped down from the ceiling and barred their way. Wes was forced to battle, and wound up Snagging his Heracross, Rui having identified her as a Shadow Pokémon.

"Ooh," Wes murmured- his ringtone sounded just after the defeated Peon fled. "Let's see… it's from Nett," he reported to Rui, reading his latest email. "He managed to extract a partial list of Shadow Pokémon, and has identified 29 of them thus far. He'll keep us posted."

"That's good," smiled Rui. "Wow," she added, as she and Wes stepped through the door and onto the moving platform. They could see that the tunnel led them to the tower itself.

Once they were in the next room, which turned out to be a huge lobby, a man approached them. "Fanfare, please! Congratulations!" he said with a smile. "You, sir, are the thousandth guest to enter Realgam Tower since its opening!"

Wes blinked. "Really?" he asked.

The man laughed. "No, not really!" he said. "We just opened today. So that's not likely!"

A battle ensued after that. Despite being a little stunned at the man's Nuzleaf knowing Explosion, the battle otherwise went off without a hitch. Wes went back to heal his Pokémon after this, and also used another TM he had, this one on Espeon.

Back in the lobby, however, there were other Trainers, all of whom challenged Wes to battle. They didn't seem to be Cipher Peons- except for one of them, none other than Bluno, who appeared to have made no effort to replace the Croconaw Wes snagged. He used Feraligatr in that battle, whose memories of Bluno were apparently none too fond, for he was perfectly fine taking out his former teammates.

Finally, Wes warily approached the elevator on the opposite end of the lobby, for it was being guarded by a man in a black suit. "Hello," Wes greeted the man warily.

The man smirked at Wes… and then removed his shades, revealing a familiar face. "Shh- Wes, it's me, Silva!" he whispered. "I snuck in here in disguise. Surprised you, huh?"

"I'll say," grinned Rui. "Nice disguise."

"Thanks, but that's not important right now," Silva whispered. "Word is that Cipher's boss is waiting for you two at the top of the tower. And, he's supposed to have the ultimate Shadow Pokémon! Good luck, guys, and please, be careful at all times."

Wes and Rui exchanged looks. They were a little unnerved by this news, true enough, but the looks the exchanged were resolute. Together they walked into the elevator, and headed on up into the heights of Realgam Tower.

The elevator let them off in a sizable room, with two staircases headed up to a balcony. What caught Wes's eye, however, was the man standing before him and Rui now. Wes's mouth fell open- it was the silver-haired, red-eyed man from Phenac City! "You?" Wes said.

The man chuckled. "Ah, you've finally reached me," he said to Wes. "I must say that I am impressed. Wesley Eon and Rui Ketchum, I welcome you to the Realgam Tower. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nascour. Do you remember the time we met in Phenac City?"

"Hard not to," Wes replied. "Yours isn't a face someone forgets. No matter how hard they try."

Nascour chuckled. "Witty. Very witty. But as I was saying, that time in Phenac, I had the feeling I would one day face you in battle. I wasn't lying about that. What never crossed my mind, however, is that it would be you seeking me out here." He gave a dark chuckle. "Very soon, we will be ready to greet your arrival in style. Now, I shall go ahead and wait for you. See to it I'm not kept waiting too long." With that, he made his way up one of the staircases.

"Wes, quick!" Rui exclaimed. "We have to chase him!"

"Sounds like a plan," Wes replied, hurtling up the stairs after Nascour. However, they reached the top of the stairs just in time to see Nascour get carried further up into the tower by an elevator. They reached the elevator, but the call button did absolutely nothing.

"Oh, what do we do now?" sighed Rui. Then, she saw something to the left. "Wes!" she exclaimed. "There's another elevator, look! Let's try that one!"

"Let's do it," agreed Wes, but as they drew near, it became clear that the other elevator was also unavailable. And then, they heard the elevator moving. Wes tensed up. "Someone's coming," he murmured.

What happened next, Wes was not prepared for. A hulking, muscular man stepped out of the elevator. He made minimal effort to cover up his torso, and his bald head was offset by his inordinately huge eyebrows and mustache. "Gwaahahah!" he laughed. "Long time no see, eh, Wes? You're not gonna break my heart and tell me you've forgotten my face, are you now"

Wes's hands clenched into fists. "Gonzap," he hissed.

"Team Snagem?" said Rui in tones of great surprise. "But… why? Why now? Why here? Isn't this Cipher's base? Team Snagem shouldn't have anything to do with this."

"You're absolutely right, little lady!" nodded Gonzap. "This is Cipher's headquarters, alright. But here's a little something even your boyfriend there wasn't hip to- we got a lot to do with this! Wes, you remember that we were just petty thieves before we got ahold of the Snag Machines. You ever wonder where we got them in the first place?"

Wes's eyes widened. "…From Cipher?" he said.

"You always did catch on quick," grinned Gonzap. "They struck a deal with us- we Snag superior-grade Pokémon from Trainers everywhere, sell 'em to Cipher for a tidy profit, and they make 'em into Shadow Pokémon!"

"So… this is all one big plot hatched by Cipher?" said Rui.

"She catches on quick, too," smirked Gonzap. "Master Nascour's waiting for you two upstairs, but you got me to deal with first. Wes! Consider this payback for blowing up our hideout!"

The battle ensued. Wes started by sending out Hariyama and Espeon, and Gonzap sent out a Crawdaunt and his own Hariyama. Due to the various type advantages, Wes's Hariyama was able to knock out Crawdaunt with a single Cross Chop, and Espeon's Psychic knocked out Gonzap's Hariyama. Following this, Gonzap sent out Pinsir and Shiftry. Wes stuck with Hariyama, but switched Espeon out for Plusle. First, Hariyama hit them both with Earthquake, with Plusle using Protect. Then, Hariyama finished Shiftry off with Cross Chop while Plusle blasted Pinsir with Thunder, knocking it out as well.

"I believe that's that," Wes smirked as Gonzap withdrew his Pokémon. "You've only ever had those four, if memory serves."

"Oh, memory serves, alright," Gonzap smirked back, producing a fifth Poké Ball. "But you failed to reckon with this! Not long after you… handed in your resignation… I caught this little guy, and took the liberty of getting Cipher to work their magic on it." And he hurled the ball. "Go, Skarmory!"

Rui's eyes widened as the ball split open. "Wes- it's a Shadow Pokémon!" she exclaimed.

"OK," said Wes. "Plusle, Thunder Wave!" He then held out a Poké Ball. "Hariyama, come back!" he added. Once he withdrew Hariyama, he threw another ball. "Umbreon, Mean Look!" he ordered.

"Use Air Cutter!" roared Gonzap.

"Skaaaaaar!" trilled Skarmory, flapping his wings, sending powerful blades of air flying at both opponents, in spite of the paralysis Plusle had inflicted upon it.

"Alright!" said Wes. "Helping Hand and Bite!"

"Shadow Rush on Plusle!" ordered Gonzap.

Again, Skarmory fought the paralysis, and managed to ram into Plusle. Umbreon managed to sink his teeth into the aluminum avian, despite the hardness of its armor, boosted in power by Plusle's Helping Hand.

"Now!" said Wes, preparing an Ultra Ball. "Go, Snag Ball!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" roared Gonzap as his Skarmory was sucked into the Ultra Ball. It wobbled back and forth for a few tense seconds… and then fell still. Gonzap sighed, knowing the battle was over. "…You've grown a lot better, Wes," he admitted.

"Damn right he has," Rui smiled, kissing Wes on the cheek, which brought a smile to the ex-Snagger's face.

"Wes," said Gonzap. "What do you say? How about you and me team up again? Just like old times. Just you, me, and the Snag Machine… we can do as we please. The world will be ours. How's that sound?"

Rui looked at Wes, worry in her eyes. He wasn't considering this, was he…?

But Wes turned Rui and gave her a reassuring smile. He then turned back to Gonzap. "I appreciate the offer, Gonzap," he said. "But I can't. I'm not that guy anymore. You've been good to me over the years and I'll never forget that… but ever since I left Snagem and met Rui here, I've been doing the right thing. And sometimes the wrong thing, but now for the right reasons." He patted the Snag Machine. "I've been using this thing for good, not for personal profit. I've been fighting Cipher for a while now. I'm helping others, I'm saving Pokémon… I got friends, I got respect, I got an awesome girlfriend, and I got none of the guilt I had working for Team Snagem.

Gonzap eyed Wes intently. "I suspected you'd say that," he said. "Not that it matters. Even if you had said yes, I don't think I could welcome you back into Team Snagem." He pointed over his shoulder at the elevator behind him. "You get going," he said. "Nascour is waiting for you." With that, he started to walk away.

"Hold it," Wes said, stepping forward. Gonzap stopped and looked back at Wes, silently waiting for him to continue talking. Wes sighed. "There's no returning to Snagem for me. I get it. And I'm cool with that, seeing as I didn't want back in anyway. But…" Wes paused again, trying to find the words. "You may have gotten me into a life of crime that I'm thankful to have gotten myself out of, but you were still like a father to me. You taught me everything you know about battling, you took me in off the streets… I mean, yeah, I kinda blew up your hideout, but still… At the very least, I'd like us to part on good terms," Wes said, offering Gonzap a handshake.

Gonzap didn't answer right away, but then he cracked the smallest of smiles and shook Wes's hand. "I'll want a rematch when next we meet," he said to Wes.

Wes nodded. "Wouldn't have it any other way." Gonzap nodded back, then walked down the stairs, taking the elevator down to the lobby. Once he was gone, Rui threw her arms around Wes. "Ooh, what brought this on?" grinned Wes as he hugged Rui back.

In response, Rui kissed him, and then spoke up. "Well, let's see," she said. "Beating Gonzap. Snagging that Shadow Skarmory. Turning down his offer even before you knew it wasn't serious." Her smile widened. "Calling me your awesome girlfriend. Things like that."

Wes smiled back. "Meant every word of it," he said. "C'mon, let's get my Pokémon healed up. I'll want to be able to do my best against Nascour."

As it happened, however, not much backtracking was needed. Wes was about to board the elevator going down when a man exited a nearby room. He left the door open, revealing the healing machine inside. Rui noticed this and pointed it out to Wes, who opted to go in there and heal his team instead. And then, after that, there was nowhere left to go but up. Up the elevator, which would hopefully lead them straight to Nascour.


	24. Chapter 24: The Not-So-Elite Four

The elevator brought Wes and Rui up to the very top of the tower. As they stepped out of the elevator, Wes could immediately tell they were in the advertised rooftop colosseum. Crowds of people surrounded the arena, cheering loudly.

"There's gotta be at least a thousand people here," said Wes. "That jerk lied to us- I very well could've been the thousandth guest!"

Before Rui could respond to this, Nascour's voice echoed across the colosseum. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Realgam Tower! Today, we will provide you top-quality entertainment in the form of Shadow Pokémon battles! And now, may I introduce our soon-to-be gracious losers- Wesley Eon and Rui Ketchum!" The crowd went wild.

"Nascour!" Wes barked. "Show yourself!"

Nascour simply chuckled. "Wes. What kept you?" he taunted. "I was worried Gonzap might have beaten you. Now, show myself, you say? Not just yet. The time has come for you to pay off some debts. We'll have you battle as payment towards the huge losses you inflicted on us. Now remember, you're here to entertain, so I expect to see some spectacular battling out of you."

Wes soon found out what Nascour was talking about. First came a muscular woman who battled Wes with a number of Normal-type Pokémon. Among them, Rui was quick to point out, was a Shadow Miltank. Naturally, Wes went with Hariyama here, along with Plusle, and found it somewhat easy to wear down her team and Snag the Miltank. After her came a man around Wes's age. His specialty seemed to be Dark-types, culminating in his owning a Shadow Absol. Hariyama came in handy here once again, and along with Furret, the two of them took out the man's Sharpedo and Mightyena, and also weakened Absol to the point where Wes could Snag her in the first Ultra Ball he threw. The crowd seemed unperturbed by the fact that Wes was stealing all the Shadow Pokémon- they cared only about their own entertainment, and they found Wes's battling entertaining. Very entertaining, actually, if the volume of their cheering was anything to go by. After that, they stopped bothering to hide their affiliation with Cipher- the next one was decked out in full Peon gear, and came at Wes with numerous Fire-types. Feraligatr and Plusle were Wes's choices for this battle. Rui also pointed out to Wes that the Peon's Houndoom was in fact a Shadow Pokémon. Houndoom's Flamethrower was pretty powerful, even once Feraligatr set up Rain Dance, so Wes made Snagging it his first priority. After that, Feraligatr's Surf and Plusle's Thunder made quick work of the other Fire-types. The fourth Trainer was also a Peon, who introduced himself as the last battler. His specialty, clearly, was Grass, as evidenced by his Vileplume and his Tropius, the latter of which Rui identified as his Shadow Pokémon. Astonishingly, Wes needed only a single Ultra Ball to Snag Tropius, without even weakening it that much, leaving Espeon and Umbreon free to deal with the others. In addition, the Peon had a Cacturne and a Cradily- Umbreon in particular was helpful against these.

At long last, Wes was done. "Alright, Nascour!" he bellowed. "That's your four flunkies taken care of! Now show yourself!"

In response to this, a small metal device rose up out of the floor next to Wes, shining a light on his trenchcoat pockets. "Your Pokémon have been fully healed," came Nascour's voice as the device retracted into the floor. "You will need everything you have against your next opponent… too bad it won't do you any good."

"Will you listen to my boyfriend and just show yourself already?!" exploded Rui.

At that moment, Nascour himself strode across the battlefield, stopping exactly where Wes's other four opponents had stood. "Bravo. Bravo. Well done," he smirked. "Why not become a Cipher show-battle Trainer? Would you even consider it? I'll vouch that you will become a top star in no time."

"Let me put this as nicely as possible- go screw yourself," Wes retorted.

Nascour's smirk widened. "I suspected as much," he said. "It's just as well- I'm afraid I'm not so bighearted as to seriously extend such an offer to you." Then, all traces of a smirk faded from his face. He looked scarier than ever. "I will destroy you in battle right now," he said to Wes, producing a pair of Poké Balls. "You will know the humiliation of total domination before this crowd! GO!" he exclaimed, throwing the Poké Balls, which unleashed a Gardevoir and a Walrein.

"Go, Plusle!" Wes exclaimed, throwing two Poké Balls. "Go, Furret!"

"Gardevoir, Psychic on Plusle!" ordered Nascour. "Walrein, Ice Beam on Furret!"

"Furret, use Iron Tail on Gardevoir!" ordered Wes. "Plusle, hit Walrein with Thunder!"

"PLAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAA!" Plusle exclaimed, discharging a powerful lightning bolt. Walrein tried to evade it, but was lit up by the super effective move. Nevertheless, it still managed to unleash an Ice Beam, but Furret deftly dove under it while running towards Gardevoir. The Psychic-type was attempting to unleash a powerful Psychic blast, but Furret nailed it in the head with a hard, metallic tail, forcing it to stagger backwards. It still unleashed Psychic, and it still hit Plusle, but the Electric-type still looked ready to go.

"Alright!" said Wes. "Furret, Strength! Plusle, Thunder! Finish them off.

"Walrein, Waterfall!" ordered Nascour. "Gardevoir, Destiny Bond!"

Gardevoir closed its eyes and focused, but before the Destiny Bond could take effect, Furret rammed into it at high speed, and this blow knocked it out. At the same time, Walrein was knocked out by Plusle's Thunder.

Nascour wordlessly withdrew Gardevoir and Walrein, glaring at Wes for a moment before finally saying something. "Not bad," he said. "But we're far from done here!" And he threw two more Poké Balls. These unleashed a Dusclops and a Blaziken. "Destiny Bond and Roar!" he ordered.

"Furret, Helping Hand!" Wes ordered. "Plusle, use Thunder on Dusclops! Now, before it can use Destiny Bond!"

Plusle launched yet another bolt of lightning, which struck Dusclops, but even with the boost in power from Furret's Helping Hand, the Beckon Pokémon did not fall. Meanwhile, as Dusclops's eye glowed red, Blaziken roared loudly, forcing Furret back into its ball. Before Wes could react, another one of his Poké Balls activated, and Feraligatr was brought out. This got Wes grinning. "Rain Dance and Thunder!" he ordered.

"GATOOOOOOOOR!" bellowed Feraligatr as the rain started to pour down upon the battlefield.

"PLAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAA!" added Plusle, unleashing another Thunder- but this one was aimed at Dusclops!

"No! Plusle!" Wes exclaimed, but too late- Dusclops had fallen from this second Thunder, and thanks to its Destiny Bond, Plusle passed out as well. "Gah… Plusle, return! Go, Hariyama!" said Wes, withdrawing the Electric-type and sending in the Arm Thrust Pokémon. As he did this, Nascour sent out his next Pokémon- Xatu. "Gah, a Xatu," grumbled Wes. "OK, Feraligatr, Surf!" he ordered. "Hariyama, use Return on Xatu!"

Nascour smirked. "Xatu, use Psychic on Hariyama," he said. "Blaziken, Sky Uppercut."

Blaziken went first, deftly delivering a powerful uppercut to Feraligatr, but this wasn't enough to knock out the Water-type. In response, Feraligatr unleashed Surf, which washed over both combatants. Blaziken was knocked out, but Xatu was not. Xatu then unleashed a powerful Psychic blast, but to Wes's amazement and general relief, Hariyama remained standing. Then, hearts swirling around his body, Hariyama charged forward with thunderous footsteps, and slammed into the Psychic/Flying-type, knocking it clean out.

To Wes's confusion, Nascour was laughing as he withdrew Blaziken and Xatu. "Very nice," he said. "You've shown me a good fight, Wes. But this is where your adventure draws to a close," he added, brandishing one more Poké Ball. "Kneel before… Metagross!" Nascour bellowed, tossing the ball, from which emerged a four-legged metal monstrosity. A large silver X adorned its front, placed between its eyes, a piercing shade of red to rival that of its Trainer's.

"W-Wes," murmured Rui. "That's it- that Metagross must be the ultimate Shadow Pokémon Ein made for the boss!" she said. "Its aura is terrifying!"

"Well, that's his last Pokémon," Wes said reassuringly. "And I still got that ace in the hole. I see no better time to use it than here and now." Wes closed his eyes and focused. He pressed the cuff of the Snag Machine to the white button, and as he did so, he focused on the unmistakable image of the rare sphere he was given earlier. The Master Ball materialized in his left hand, energy swirling around it to make it the single most powerful object that Snag Machine would ever produce. Smirking at the look of dawning comprehension and horror on Nascour's face, Wes wound up and threw the one ball in his possession guaranteed to catch any Pokémon. "Go, Master Ball!" Wes exclaimed, not even bothering to call it a Snag Ball- it was still a Snag Ball, after all, and how often would he get to yell _that_ in his life?

Far too late, Nascour tried to withdraw Metagross, but already a hand made of energy erupted from the Master Ball, wrapping around Metagross, deflecting the recall beam, and sucking the Iron Leg Pokémon into the sphere. Once Metagross was inside, the Master Ball slammed shut with an air of finality. It didn't even shake as it hit the ground, instead flying back into Wes's left hand, and then vanishing, as Wes's Metagross was transported to the PC.

Nascour was livid. If Wes thought he looked scary before, that was nothing. He looked mad, in every sense of the term- furious, deranged. "N… No!" Nascour exclaimed. "No! There's no way! This can't be happening!"

"Tell that to your Metagross," quipped Rui as Wes withdrew his Pokémon. "Oh, sorry- I mean _Wes's_ Metagross." She then kissed Wes on the cheek.

As Nascour continued to remain in sad denial over his loss, he hadn't noticed that he had activated the healing machine once more. The device shone that peculiar light on Wes's trenchcoat pockets once more, and healed up Wes's entire team. "It's over, Nascour," Wes smirked. "You're down. Your Metagross is mine. Cipher is finished."

Nascour shook his head. "Gaaaah! No! This is not over, Wes! Come on, we shall battle agai-"

"Enough!" came a sharp voice whose source wasn't visible. "Don't embarrass yourself, Nascour!"

To Wes and Rui's surprise and confusion, Nascour's demeanor changed at once- he suddenly calmed down, and became much more quiet and remorseful. "Sir!" he breathed. "I… I beg your pardon!"

Wes and Rui exchanged looks of confusion. "What's… going on?" Wes asked Rui.

"You got me," shrugged Rui. "Nascour, apologizing? Isn't he supposed to be Cipher's boss?"

At that moment, however, the elevator on the other side of the arena rose up again. And again, someone stepped out of it, walking past a sniveling, humbled Nascour. Someone who was now standing where Nascour had stood moments ago. Someone whose presence elicited identical looks of pure shock on both Wes and Rui's faces.


	25. Chapter 25: Never Trust a Politician

It was Es Cade.

"My, my," said the mayor of Phenac City as he looked at Wes and Rui. "That certainly was a battle worth seeing. I must be honest with you- I never imagined that you would get this far."

"…What?" Rui said blankly. "M-Mr. Mayor? Why are you here?"

Es Cade chuckled. It sounded a lot less friendly than his usual chuckle. In fact, it sent shivers down Wes's spine. "Ohhh, dear me. Do you fail to understand still? You're such an innocent child… You see, at times, I am the affable mayor of Phenac… and at others, I am the secret boss of the criminal syndicate Cipher."

At that moment, something about Es Cade seemed to change. His two tufts of grey hair suddenly turned sharp and spiky. His eyes opened wide, revealing them to be dark and soulless. And a wide, deranged grin came across his face.

"I am Evice," he said. "And I shall rule the world!"

"…Well, now we know why he wasn't getting anywhere with that investigation," Wes finally managed to say.

"How dare you meddle in our affairs so thoroughly!" Evice exclaimed. "The Shadow Pokémon plan can be resurrected from the start. You two, however, will _never_ be forgiven! I will destroy you utterly so you may never again rise against me!"

"Well, _that's_ a tune we've heard before," Wes retorted. Already, he and Evice had each prepared a pair of Poké Balls. "Go!"

"Destroy!" Evice exclaimed, throwing his own Poké Balls at the same time Wes threw his.

The four Pokémon appeared at once- Plusle and Hariyama on Wes's side, Slowking and Slaking on Evice's. "Plusle, Protect!" Wes ordered. "Hariyama, Earthquake!"

"Slaking, Bulk Up!" ordered Evice. "Slowking, Skill Swap!"

Plusle shielded herself from Hariyama's Earthquake, but its effect on the opposition was minimal. Slaking had managed a Bulk Up, and Slowking was taking the attack quite well, too. Then, two orbs of energy appeared- one from Slowking, one from Slaking- and they switched places, each one floating into the source of the other. "Oh, crap," Wes murmured as he realized what Evice had done. "Helping Hand and Cross Chop!"

"I don't think so!" cackled Evice. "Aerial Ace!"

Slaking looked a lot more energetic all of a sudden, springing to its feet and charging forward. However, Hariyama managed to meet it with a powerful Cross Chop. The pair of Pokémon struggled against each other, until they backed off, each one having taken damage.

"Plusle, use Thunder on Slaking!" ordered Wes. "Hariyama, Vital Throw!"

"PLAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Plusle exclaimed, firing a sizzling lightning bolt at Slaking… and missing!

"Hah!" cackled Evice. "Use Crush Claw! On the Plusle!"

"Do it, Hariyama!" Wes exclaimed.

As Slaking closed in on Plusle, thunderous footsteps shook the battlefield. "Hariiiiiiiiyama!" bellowed the Fighting-type, intercepting the Crush Claw and delivering a powerful Vital Throw. This time, Slaking was caught off-guard, and crashed into Slowking after being thrown by the attack. Slaking was able to get back up. Slowking was not so lucky.

A mere stroke of luck," snapped Evice as he withdrew Slowking. "Go, Salamence!" he added, throwing another ball, this one unleashing a formidable winged dragon, whose mere presence Intimidated the Hariyama and Plusle.

Wes held out a Poké Ball. "Plusle, return now!" he said, withdrawing the Electric-type before throwing another ball. "Feraligatr! Blizzard!" he exclaimed. "Hariyama, use Vital Throw on Slaking!"

"Salamence! Double-Edge!" roared Evice. "Slaking, Aerial Ace!"

Salamence moved first, diving down and ramming into Feraligatr. However, the Water-type got right back up and unleashed a howling snowstorm. Slaking was able to evade this in the process of landing an Aerial Ace, which managed to knock Hariyama out. Salamence, however, shrieked as the snow and ice assaulted its body, and passed out on the spot.

"Come back now, Hariyama!" Wes exclaimed, already throwing another ball. "Furret!"

"Aw, what a cute little Furret," sneered Evice as he sent out a Scizor. "But it's not going to last. Scizor! Swords Dance! Slaking! Crush Claw!"

Wes was ready. "Feraligatr, Rain Dance!" he ordered. "And let's finish off that Slaking!" he added, turning his attention to the Normal-type. "Now, Furret, use Hyper Beam!"

"Furret FUUUUUUUUUUUR!" Furret screamed as she unleashed the ultra-powerful Normal-type move. This proved to be all Slaking could take, and the Lazy Pokémon collapsed. Meanwhile, Feraligatr had summoned yet another rainstorm.

"Grr… You pestilent boy!" snapped Evice as he withdrew Slaking. "You shall soon learn the meaning of despair! Machamp!" he yelled, sending out a powerful, four-armed Fighting-type.

"We'll see about that!" retorted Wes. "Helping Hand and Surf!"

"Machamp, Earthquake!" Evice exclaimed. "Scizor, Baton Pass!"

"What?!" Wes exclaimed.

A tube-shaped mass of energy formed above Scizor. It fell down onto the Bug/Steel-type, and on contact, turned Scizor into a mass of red energy, pulling it into the tube as though into a Poké Ball. Es Cade then held out Scizor's Poké Ball, and that mass of energy flew from the odd tube to the ball. "Now!" Evice cackled, throwing one last Poké Ball. "Emerge, my ultimate Shadow Pokémon! Go, Tyranitar!"

The ball split open, but the energy it released was sucked into the tube. Then, the tube started spinning around in midair… and then it burst! The mass of energy exploded out of the tube, and formed itself into a very large creature, which roared loudly. The Tryanitar's roar caused a sandstorm to start up, and the rain was forced to stop. And what was worse, Wes realized, was that thanks to Scizor's Baton Pass, Tyranitar now had the benefits of Swords Dance!

"…Might have been a good idea to save the Master Ball, in hindsight," Wes murmured to Rui.

Meanwhile, Feraligatr used Surf as ordered- Furret still had to recharge. Machamp's Earthquake shook the battlefield, causing damage all around- including to Tyranitar, Wes noticed. And then came the tidal wave, but it didn't knock out either adversary.

"Now! Double Rock Slide!" Evice bellowed.

"Furret, Hyper Beam on Machamp!" Wes ordered. "Feraligatr, Surf!"

Furret went first, launching the powerful beam of energy. This caused Machamp to faint, but this seemed to not matter- Tyranitar made a deluge of rocks rain down upon Furret and Feraligatr, knocking both of them out immediately.

"Heh. Go, Scizor!" Evice exclaimed, sending the Bug/Steel-type back out. "Use your Swords Dance once more! Tyranitar, Rock Slide!"

"We're not done yet!" Wes exclaimed defiantly, throwing two more Poké Balls. "Umbreon, Confuse Ray on Scizor! Plusle, Thunder Wave on Tyranitar!"

The Rock Slide came once again. And this time, only Plusle fainted. Thankfully, she had managed the Thunder Wave beforehand, so Tyranitar wasn't looking quite so hot, but it was small comfort to Wes at the moment. Both opposing Pokémon had higher Attack now.

"OK… Go, Espeon!" exclaimed Wes, sending out his only other conscious Pokémon. How fitting, he realized, that his last hope against Cipher's boss consisted of none other than his first partners, his Espeon and Umbreon. Umbreon had managed to hit Scizor with Confuse Ray as well, which meant a glimmer of hope for Wes. "Espeon, use Reflect now!" he ordered. "Umbreon, Bite Tyranitar!"

"Rock Slide and Silver Wind!" Evice roared, but the battle seemed to be starting to tip in Wes's favor. Scizor merely punched itself in the head with one of its pincers, and as Umbreon somehow sank its teeth into Tyranitar's rocky hide, Tyranitar flinched instead of launching an attack.

"Now!" Wes grinned. "Espeon, finish Scizor with Psychic! Umbreon, use Mean Look on Tyranitar!"

"Mean Look- what- no. No! OH NO YOU DON'T!" screamed Evice. But it was too late- the Psychic attack had knocked Scizor out, and as much as Evice tried to withdraw Tyranitar, the Mean Look was already in effect. "No! NO! DON'T YOU DARE!" Evice cried desperately.

"Oh, I dare," smirked Wes, a Timer Ball already forming in his left hand. "Snag Ball! Get it!" he exclaimed, launching the sphere at the incapacitated Rock/Dark-type.

The crowd hushed as Evice's ultimate Shadow Pokémon was sucked into the Snag Ball. The ball clattered to the arena floor. It wobbled… it shook… and then it fell still.

Evice fell to his knees. "NOOOOOOOO!" he wailed. "Even my ultimate Pokémon!"

Wes smirked. The crowd was now laughing at Evice. Cries of "He's an idiot!", "Evice, you are dumb!", and "You! Suck!" echoed all around.

Evice got back to his feet. "Gaaah!" he exclaimed, starting to walk towards Wes. "You! You ruined everything! The Shadow Pokémon plan! The lab! And it's all your fault! I am going to murder you!" he screamed, sounding more beyond reason than ever before.

At that moment, however, the elevator popped up again behind Evice, and a very large man ran out. "I don't think so, very fat man!" Dakim exclaimed. He ran up behind Evice and actually picked him up, lifting him above his head. "Daahahahahah!"

Wes's grin got even wider. Chief Sherles, Officer Johnson, Duking, Silva, and even Eagun and Pikachu were running up and surrounding Dakim and Evice. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "How'd you guys know to come here?"

"Miror B.," said Duking. "Showed up in Pyrite to personally apologize. I kinda wanted to punch his lights out at first, but he explained his whole change of heart, and also told us what was going on here."

"That's right," Sherles nodded. "Strolled right into police headquarters. Turned himself in for the colosseum incident, but since he gave us so much information about Cipher and Realgam Tower, and told us exactly what was going on, and since Duking believed his story… well, we let him off easy. Did he really help out as much as he claims?"

Wes nodded. "That he did. So did this guy," he added, gesturing to Dakim. "Former Cipher Admin. On our side now."

"Daahahaha!" Dakim laughed as he slammed the struggling Evice back down on the ground.

"Cipher is finished!" Duking exclaimed, standing above Evice. "The Shadow Pokémon plan ends now!"

"Rui, Wes, are you two all right?" Eagun asked.

"Pika pika!" added Pikachu.

"Never better, Grandpa," smiled Rui.

With surprising swiftness, considering his considerably heft, Evice sprang back to his feet. "Blast you! Don't you forget what you've done, Wes!" he hissed. "It won't end like this next time! I will ruin you the next time, I promise you that!"

Wes smirked. "Who says there's gonna be a next time?"

Evice smirked back. At that moment, a faint sound became much more distinct. Everyone looked around, but it was Rui who spotted the source of the sound- a helicopter, flying towards the colosseum. "No!" she exclaimed. "He's trying to use that helicopter to escape!"

Evice chuckled. "You were saying, Wes?" he smirked. He broke free from the circle of people surrounding him, making a run for where the helicopter was lowering a rope ladder.

"Evice! Get back here!" shouted Sherles. "You're under arrest!"

"Take your arrest and shove it, you stupid Spoink!" cackled Evice. "Let us meet again, Wes! Our bid to take over the world using Shadow Pokémon hasn't ended yet! I will return someday- I will be the ruler of the world! Wahaha! What can stop me now?!"

At that moment, however, what appeared to be a giant fireball soared across the sky. It slammed straight into Evice's helicopter, blowing up the aircraft instantly.

"…That," quipped Rui, pointing at the fireball. "I think your plan just ended."

Evice sank to his knees. "…What?!" he exclaimed in tones of utter disbelief.

Sherles slapped a pair of handcuffs on the stunned politician. "Evice! You and your cronies are under arrest!"

Rui smirked her satisfaction… and then something in the sky caught her attention. "Oh! Wh-what is that?!" she exclaimed, pointing up at what was previously a fireball. The fire was no longer burning, revealing the rainbow-colored bird beneath.

Everyone else looked up. Duking was in awe. "It's a legendary Pokémon- it's Ho-Oh!" he exclaimed.

"It's incredible," breathed Rui.

"Amazing," Wes agreed.

"I haven't seen Ho-Oh in years," Eagun murmured. "I first saw Ho-Oh the day I began my journey. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

Eagun then turned to Wes and Rui. "Ho-Oh must have been keeping an eye on your heroics from the sky above. It's clear the two of you have earned its support. And, of course it would never allow criminals to get away with an outrage like creating Shadow Pokémon.

"So, Ho-Oh was watching over us," Rui murmured, her voice full of wonder. She then turned to Wes. "Wes… I guess it's finally over," she said. "We faced so many challenges, but thanks to you, Wes, it's all been resolved."

Wes shook his head. "Not just me," he said. "What would I have done without you?"

Rui smiled. "Thank you, Wes," she said. "You were strong, you answered the call, and you were cool!"

"Look!" Duking exclaimed. "Ho-Oh's so close!"

Eagun smiled at Wes and Rui. "Rui, Wes, Ho-Oh is blessing you for your victory."

Wes and Rui simply looked at each other. And then, with Ho-Oh flying overhead, they kissed, locked in an embrace all the while. It was over. Cipher was finished, the Shadow Pokémon plan was wrecked. Evice and Nascour were arrested, but Venus and Ein were never found. Dakim and Miror B. were exonerated as thanks for their help in bringing down Cipher. Miror B. vanished mysteriously, but Dakim remained in Pyrite Town, where he worked as an assistant to Duking. Dakim liked this- Duking was a much nicer boss to work for than Nascour or Ein, and working in such close proximity to Duel Square gave him regular access to powerful Trainers to battle. And Wes and Rui, after departing Realgam Tower, knew not what the future held in store for either one of them, but for the first time in a while, things were truly looking up.


	26. Chapter 26: Cail-ure is Not an Option

In the days following Evice's arrest, Wes and Rui took the opportunity to relax a little bit. First thing after leaving Realgam Tower, Eagun informed Rui that in his family, seeing Ho-Oh on the first day of one's journey as a Pokémon Trainer was a sign of very good luck. He therefore suggested to Rui that if she was at all interested in becoming a Trainer, this would be a good day for her to start. Rui asked how she would possibly become a Trainer if she couldn't find a wild Pokémon to catch for herself, but Wes stepped up and handled this, giving Rui his Dunsparce and Qwilfish as her first Pokémon.

After this, they spent a lot of time training. Not just at Mt. Battle, but also at the various colosseums- Phenac, Pyrite, and The Under. Winning all sorts of Colosseum challenges earned them a number of TMs. Rui used the TMs she won to teach Rain Dance, Shadow Ball, and Sludge Bomb to Qwilfish, and by pooling together the Poké Coupons she and Wes won at Mt. Battle, she was even able to afford TMs for Thunderbolt and Flamethrower to teach to Dunsparce.

Wes was no slouch, either. He continued to train his Pokémon, finally conquering the final areas of Mt. Battle. He was astonished to find nothing less than a Time Flute awaiting him at the top of the mountain, just before the final Trainer. He and Rui agreed they would wait to use this until there were only six Shadow Pokémon left to purify.

About a week after Evice's arrest, Wes and Rui had just finished paying for their meal- they were out on a date at the Outskirt Stand, which had become their favorite restaurant by this point. And then, as they stepped outside, Wes's P*DA rang. "What could this be?" Wes wondered out loud, as he took out the device. "Uh huh… OK, this is interesting," he said to Rui. "Nett's saying he and Secc developed a new system for downloading data automatically to my P*DA. Apparently, now I should get information on Shadow Pokémon directly from anyone connected to the network."

"Wow," said Rui. "That kid is a genius."

"Isn't he, though?" agreed Wes. "I- what now?" he murmured, for at that moment, the P*DA rang again. "OK, it's from Secc in Pyrite… apparently a suspicious-looking Pokémon was spotted in Pyrite, and Secc wants to give us the full story in person."

"I guess we're off to Pyrite then, huh?" said Rui.

Wes nodded. "That we are," he confirmed, as they approached his motorcycle.

* * *

"…OK, so, this guy, Cail, he hangs around Pyrite's entrance," Secc was telling them.

"That's not news, though," Wes frowned. "I know Cail. We go way back."

"Yeah, but here's the thing," Secc continued. "Cail recently battled this creepy Trainer who apparently used a weird Pokémon. You should talk to Cail."

"Sounds like a plan," Wes nodded. "Thanks, Secc."

"No problem, big people!" smiled Secc.

Wes and Rui exited Duking's house, and from there, it wasn't a long walk down to where Cail usually hung out. Indeed, to where he was currently hanging out.

"Yo! Wes! Rui!" grinned Cail as they approached the gatekeeper of Pyrite. "What's up?"

"So, word on the street is that you battled a weird Pokémon," said Wes. "Any truth to that?"

"Oh, yeah," nodded Cail. "It freaked me out but good. Here's the thing, though- I'll gladly tell you, but first I'm in need of a battle, y'know?"

Wes grinned. "Wouldn't have it any other way," he added.

"Actually," Rui said. "May I battle Cail instead?"

"Hm? You?" Cail said, turning to Rui. "Didn't think you had any Pokémon."

"I just started about a week ago," Rui explained. "So what do you say?"

Cail shrugged. "It's fine with me. Wes?"

"Go right ahead," Wes agreed. "She's very good, I want to see how she does against you."

Cail smirked. "Alright, then, here we go!" he exclaimed, throwing a pair of Poké Balls. "Go, Granbull! Go, Gardevoir!"

Rui, in turn, threw a Poké Ball and a Premier Ball. "Go, Dunsparce! Go, Qwilfish!" she exclaimed. The four Pokémon materialized simultaneously. By looks alone, Gardevoir and Granbull looked stronger, but Wes knew better than to assume Rui's Pokémon weren't tough.

"Granbull! Take Down on Dunsparce!" Cail ordered. "Gardevoir, use Thunderbolt on Qwilfish!"

Rui sprang into action. "Dunsparce! Glare!" she ordered.

"Sparce!" Dunsparce exclaimed, flying in front of Gardevoir and fixing it with a surprisingly ferocious glare. Gardevoir crackled with electricity, but was ultimately unable to launch the attack.

"And Qwilfish, use Surf!" she ordered.

"Fish qwil qwil!" Qwilfish exclaimed, summoning a huge tidal wave, swamping the entre battlefield. Neither opponent was knocked out, but this didn't deter Rui one bit, especially when Granbull's Take Down missed Dunsparce by less than an inch.

"Let's do this!" she called to her Pokémon. "Dunsparce, use Take Down on Granbull! Qwilfish, use Shadow Ball on Gardevoir!"

"Gardevoir! Psychic!" ordered Cail. "Granbull! Crunch!" Alas, his orders came too late- Dunsparce plowed Granbull into the ground, knocking it clean out. It was quickly joined by Gardevoir, who couldn't withstand the super effective attack. "Gah… she's good!" Cail exclaimed as he withdrew Gardevoir and Granbull.

"Told you," Wes grinned.

"Yeah, well, feast your eyes on Machamp and Shiftry!" retorted Cail, throwing two more Poké Balls. His Machop and Seedot had clearly evolved, and they both looked ready for action. "Cross Chop on Dunsparce, Extrasensory on Qwilfish!"

"Qwilfish! Sludge Bomb!" ordered Rui. "Dunsparce, Flamethrower!"

"Oh, what?! WHAT?!" Cail exclaimed. Machamp's Cross Chop missed, largely due to Qwiflish's Sludge Bomb getting sludge in its eyes. Meanwhile, Shifty was smarting from the Flamethrower, though did manage an Extrasensory on Qwilfish. The Balloon Pokémon wasn't knocked out, but the attack had hurt nevertheless. "OK! Machamp, Earthquake! Shiftry, Giga Drain!"

Rui smirked. "Do it!" she called. "Qwilfish, use Surf, and ride it!"

"Qwil!" grunted Qwilfish. This time, as the giant tidal wave formed, the Water/Poison-type jumped up with his tail, and landed atop the wave.

"Now, Dunsparce, catch Qwilfish!" ordered Rui.

"Dunspaaaaarce!" Dunsparce exclaimed. With much flapping of her tiny wings, Dunsparce soared underneath Qwilfish, expertly catching him on her back. Dunsparce soared above the Earthquake, and above the Surf that crashed down on both Machamp and Shiftry, the latter looking more weary due to the Earthquake.

"Now do it!" Rui exclaimed. "Qwilfish, Sludge Bomb! Dunsparce, Take Down!"

Qwilfish sprang off of Dunsparce, and launched a volley of Sludge Bombs at Shiftry, knocking it out. Meanwhile, Dunsparce dove right down into Machamp, also knocking it out.

"Yes!" Rui grinned, withdrawing her Pokémon.

"Damn," Cail sighed, withdrawing his own Pokémon. "It's been a futile struggle every time. But yeah, I did promise you some information. The guy used a Shadow Bayleef- I know it was a Shadow Pokémon, he told it to use Shadow Rush. His name… gimme a sec… ah, hell, I forget the name, but he did say something about the Snagem Hideout, for whatever that's worth."

"The Snagem Hideout?" Wes repeated.

"Yeah," nodded Cail. "I doubt I gotta tell you where that is," he added to Wes with a grin.

"Nah, yeah, I know the way," Wes nodded. "C'mon, Rui," he added. "Never thought I'd be going back there again. Oh, yeah, and before I forget," he added with a smile. "That was some great battling."

"Thanks," smiled Rui. "So, c'mon, let's go to the Snagem Hideout."


	27. Chapter 27: Un-Bayleef-able

Wes grimly stared ahead as Eclo Canyon came into view. Never did he think he'd be returning here. He parked his motorcycle in front of the hideout, subconsciously doing so in the exact same spot he'd always parked it in his years as a Snagger.

"Wes?" Rui murmured as they climbed off the conveyance. "You gonna be alright?"

Wes didn't answer right away. He was looking at the wrecked building ahead of him. "I…" he murmured. "I don't know, I just…"

"Just what?" said Rui.

"It's… I dunno, I never really expected to be coming back here," Wes said quietly. "I meant what I said to Gonzap back in Realgam Tower- a life of crime doesn't appeal to me anymore- but still, coming back here again… it's… there's so many memories, and there's the bad ones and the good ones, and it's just…"

Rui responded by pulling Wes into an embrace. "It'll be fine," she reassured him. "I felt so weird about us going back to Pyrite Town after that was where Trudly and Folly kidnapped me."

"Oh, yeah," Wes murmured. "How'd you deal with that? That must have freaked you out."

Rui blushed. "Well… honestly, Wes, it's because you were with me," she admitted. "You… I dunno, I just focused on the fact that you were there with me that time, and I could just… I dunno, focus on the present, rather than the past."

"So basically," said Wes, "I should try the same thing? Focus on the fact that we're here to investigate that Shadow Bayleef, as opposed to my history with this place?"

"It's worth a shot," said Rui. She took Wes's hand, which elicited a small smile from the Trainer, and they both walked through the doorway…

…and Wes's P*DA rang. "What the-" he murmured. He dug out the device and took a look. "Oh, hey, it's an email from Cail," he remarked. "'Yo, Wes, just remembered the name of the guy with the Shadow Bayleef- he called himself Verde. I think it means green in Spanish, which makes sense, because he had this weird green getup on. Take care.' Wait a sec," Wes added. "Bluno's uniform was a different shade of blue from other Cipher Peon uniforms, and he had a Shadow Croconaw, and those other two guys were wearing red-"

"-and green!" Rui finished. "I remember that- you think that one guy who was wearing green might be Verde?"

"Could be," Wes shrugged. "I mean, Shadow Croconaw, now a Shadow Bayleef… honestly, if that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised if the guy in red had a Shadow Quilava on top of it all."

The interior of the Snagem Hideout was a lot messier than Wes remembered it, with crumbling wreckage everywhere. And on top of it all, various Cipher Peons were all over the place, all of whom recognized Wes. Judging by their accusations of theft, they were all former owners of Shadow Pokémon Wes had Snagged. Wes and Rui both took on these Peons, now that Rui had Pokémon of her own.

As they reached the second floor (which took some creative navigating on Wes's part- his expertise in how the building was laid out did them few favors considering the explosion had blocked off many old paths and also created new ones by destroying walls), Wes's P*DA rang again. "It's from Nett," Wes reported. "He's analyzed the Shadow Pokémon list from the Data Rom and found six more Pokémon, but from what he's saying, they seem to just be ones I already got- no, wait, wait, wait a sec," he added, doing a double take. "Rui, did I ever Snag a Shadow Smeargle?" he asked.

"A Smeargle? Not that I know of," shrugged Rui.

"Yeah, didn't think so," nodded Wes. "OK, well, if that Shadow Bayleef stuff didn't confirm it, this did- we didn't get all the Shadow Pokémon."

They continued to navigate the wrecked building, and as they headed towards a staircase, Wes suddenly pulled Rui into an alcove, which allowed a Snagem Grunt to walk past them. To Wes's relief, he didn't notice them. Wes breathed a sigh of relief. "What was that about?" whispered Rui.

"That was Niver," said Wes. "Never liked me, even before this place went boom. I always avoid him if I can help it- guy's a jerk."

Rui frowned. "He's a jerk to you, is he?" she murmured. Before Wes could respond, Rui ran after Niver, shouting, "Hey! You!"

From there, Wes could only watch in amazement as Rui's Dunsparce and Qwilfish made short work of Niver's Grovyle, Vigoroth, Rhyhorn, and Zangoose. "…Holy crap, Rui," Wes murmured as she walked back over to him, leaving a stunned and defeated Niver behind her. "What was that?"

Rui grinned. "Well, I don't let anyone get away with being a jerk to my boyfriend," she replied. She then kissed Wes on the cheek. "C'mon, let's keep moving."

The staircase led them to Gonzap's office, which turned out to be a dead end. It wasn't a total loss, however- Wes was able to raid what remained of Gonzap's Rare Candy stash and feed the few pieces that remained to his Pokémon. They backtracked from there, passing by Niver without a word, who was still on his knees, trying to process how swiftly and thoroughly he'd just gotten his ass handed to him.

They continued onward- more Cipher Peons barred their way, including Skrub, who seemed annoyed when Wes and Rui did not immediately recognize him, despite his uniform looking only slightly different from the average Cipher Peon uniform. This time, it was Rui who defeated him- she and Wes had started taking turns in defeating the various enemies who barred their way, which included a mixture of Snagem Grunts and Cipher Peons. They also came to the Snag Machine Lab, where Wes had stolen his Snag Machine from, though there was no sign of the wreckage of the larger Snag Machine. Wes wasn't sure what to make of this, until he headed back upstairs- there he found the large Snag Machine, and was satisfied to see that it was still in pieces. He reached into its storage compartment and retrieved an armful of Ultra Balls, adding them to his inventory.

Soon, they encountered a Cipher Peon whose uniform wasn't the standard color. "…Verde?" said Wes.

The Peon wheeled around. "Wha-what, Wes?!" he exclaimed. "What the… you quit Team Snagem! There's nothing here for you! Unless… heh, did you come all the way out here just to see me?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," smirked Wes. "Point is, I'm here now."

"Well, then, I better not disappoint," Verde responded, throwing two Poké Balls. "Go, Bayleef! Go, Grumpig!"

"Yeah, that's a Shadow Pokémon, alright," Rui nodded, eyeing the unusually hostile Bayleef Verde had sent out.

"OK!" said Wes, throwing two Poké Balls of his own. "Go, Plusle! Go, Furret!" The Electric-type and the Normal-type materialized simultaneously before him, eyeing up their opposition. "Plusle, Thunder Wave on the Bayleef," instructed Wes. "Furret, Strength on the Grumpig!"

"Grumpig, Bounce attack!" ordered Verde. "Bayleef, Shadow Rush!"

Grumpig leaned back onto its coiled tail, but before it could spring up into the air, Furret had landed a powerful Strength attack, knocking Grumpig backwards. It managed to get back up, however, and sprang up, at the same time Plusle stunned Bayleef with a weak jolt of electricity.

Wes smirked. "Plusle! Thunder attack!" he ordered.

"PLAAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Plusle exclaimed, as she gleefully summoned a bolt of lightning to strike down Grumpig. Wes could detect the faint scent of bacon before Verde withdrew his totally unconscious Grumpig.

"Hmph," he said as he did so. "At least Bayleef here can do it for me-"

"Go, Snag Ball!" Wes interrupted, throwing a modified Ultra Ball at the Bayleef. Verde shouted angrily, but could ultimately do nothing, as Bayleef was unable to break free.

"Are you serious right now?!" exploded Verde. "You Snagged my Bayleef!"

"What a keen grasp of the obvious," smirked Wes. "Yeah, that's pretty much the entire reason I came out here. You might want to be careful who you show Shadow Pokémon to- that Cail guy near the entrance of Pyrite? Old friend of mine. We go way back."

"Grr… alright, Muk, Sharpedo, get them!" snarled Verde, sending out two more Pokémon. Sharpedo flailed about on the ground, but still managed to come off as threatening, while Muk simply stood there and oozed thick purple sludge. "Sharpedo, Waterfall! Muk, Sludge Bomb!"

Wes smirked. "Plusle, Thunder!" he ordered. "Furret, Hyper Beam!"

Verde gritted his teeth. Plusle and Furret were able to attack much faster than Sharpedo and Muk, and more to the point, they were able to hit hard enough to knock out his Pokémon at once. Plusle's Thunder lit up Sharpedo and stopped its thrashing, while Furret's Hyper Beam reduced Muk to a slightly jiggling puddle of sludge. "That's not right!" he complained.

"Sure seems right to me," smirked Rui.

"Yeah, well, enjoy Snagging my Shadow Bayleef while you can," snapped Verde. "There's still more Shadow Pokémon Trainers out there!"

On that disquieting note, Wes and Rui left the bitter, sniveling Verde where he was, and navigated to the exit. Or the newer exit, at least- they wound up leaving the building through the large hole Wes had blasted in the wall, more or less because they found that before the actual door.

"What now?" Wes murmured, for as he and Rui approached the motorcycle, Wes's P*DA rang once more. "OK, let's see… More news from Nett," he reported to Rui. "More additions to the Shadow Pokémon List, and most of them are ones I've already Snagged, but this one's new- Ursaring."

"How many more Shadow Pokémon are out there?" sighed Rui. "Nett's doing a pretty good job, but even so…"

Yeah, I know," Wes agreed. "But we'll do it, Rui," he added with a smile. "We've come this far, haven't we?"

Rui smiled back. "With you? I know we'll do it," she replied.


	28. Chapter 28: And Rosso Was His Name-O

Before Wes could start up his motorcycle, he got yet another email, this one from Secc. He reported that a lot of the visitors to The Under have apparently encountered Shadow Pokémon. The email advised that Wes go see Nett for more information, and with that, Wes and Rui set out for the mysterious underground city.

"Hey, you two," Nett greeted Wes and Rui as they entered the basement of his house. "I think there's been a sneaky Trainer in The Under lately. There's a guy in front of the Junk Shop, his name's Gurks, do you know him?"

"…does he have a Wailord?" Wes asked after a moment. "If that's the guy, then yeah."

"That's Gurks, alright," nodded Nett. "He apparently saw this Shadow Pokémon in a battle."

"He get specific?" asked Wes.

Nett shook his head. "You'll have to ask him yourself," he replied. "Wes, Rui, can you check it out?"

"Sure thing," nodded Wes.

"Let's go," Rui added.

"You want to know about a Shadow Pokémon I battled?" said Gurks.

"Yeah," nodded Wes. "What kind of Pokémon was it?"

Gurks grinned. "What say we battle first?" he added, taking a pair of Poké Balls off his belt.

"Can I take this one, Wes?" asked Rui.

"If it's OK with Gurks," replied Wes.

Gurks chuckled. "I'm cool with that," he replied, turning to Rui. "Alright, little lady, let's see what you got."

Two minutes later, a stunned Gurks was withdrawing his Wailord. "Alright, OK- the Trainer was this guy named Rosso, he was dressed in this flashy red outfit, and one of his Pokémon was a Shadow Quilava."

"Knew it," smirked Wes. "Alright, appreciate it, thanks."

"So, where to now?" Rui asked as she and Wes walked away.

"Not sure," Wes admitted. "I- OK, hold up, I'll bet you anything that I just got a lead on this right now," he added, for his P*DA had just rang. Wes took out the device and read his latest email. "I think I might be right," he nodded. "That was Marcia, Duking's daughter. She wants to see us in Pyrite."

"Then let's head on up to Pyrite," Rui grinned. She and Wes changed direction, now headed for the elevator which led up into Pyrite Building.

In no time flat, Wes was entering Duking's house, where he saw Duking and Marcia. "Ah, Wes," smiled Duking. "Good to see you, m'boy. And Rui, you're looking well, too."

"Thanks, Duking," replied Rui. "Hey- where's Dakim?" she added, glancing around. "Didn't you take him on as an assistant?"

"He's visiting his family," Duking explained. "He's got a wife and two kids- one son, one daughter. And by the way, uh… his family doesn't know about his criminal past, so if ever you guys meet them, maybe don't mention that, huh?"

"Check," Wes nodded.

"Good," nodded Duking. "Anyway, yeah, apparently his wife knows this scientist who's very interested in helping out with the Shadow Pokémon problem, so he's meeting with Duking and his family so they can try and work out some way they can help you guys."

"That'd be great," Wes grinned. "Where can we find them?"

Duking shrugged. "Sorry, Wes," he said. "Dakim wasn't very clear on directions. He said something about northwest of here, but that's as specific as he got. But anyway, Marcia here had some information for you guys."

"Yeah," nodded Marcia. "Apparently, bad guys are gathering at the Shadow Pokémon Lab again!"

"Oh, boy," sighed Wes.

"There's more, though," Marcia continued. "People have seen a Cipher Peon in a gaudy red outfit with a Shadow Quilava."

Wes and Rui exchanged looks. "Shadow Pokémon Lab?" said Wes.

Rui nodded. "Shadow Pokémon Lab," she agreed.

The return trip to the Shadow Pokémon Lab was much easier than their first time there. Cipher Peons still dropped down from the ceiling to challenge them, all of them being former owners of Shadow Pokémon, all of whom recognized Wes as the one who Snagged them all, but between him and Rui, they weren't hard to deal with. The alarm, thankfully, had stopped, and nobody tried to reactivate it. Also, since Wes still had the Down St. Key, it was much easier to navigate.

Finally, as they approached the open area where Wes fought Ein, they saw the Peon they sought- Rosso, decked out in a vivid red Cipher Peon uniform, looking very agitated as he worked with one of the computers. "Arrrrrgh!" Rosso grunted. "The data's not here, either! How are we supposed to make more Shadow Pokémon with it?"

"You're not," smirked Wes, stepping forward.

"WAH!" exclaimed Rosso, wheeling around. "How'd you sneak up on me like that?"

"We didn't, really," replied Wes. "You were a little distracted."

"Yeah, I guess that'd do it- wait a sec," Rosso added, eyeing Wes closely. "Don't I know you from somewhere? Like… at the mayor's home in Phenac?"

"Yeah, that was me," nodded Wes. "What of it?"

"How about how you've been wrecking Cipher's plans left and right?" retorted Rosso. "Well, not this one! I, Rosso, will revive Cipher and the Shadow Pokémon Plan! Just try and stop me!" As he spoke, he threw two Poké Balls. "Quilava! Grumpig!" he yelled.

Wes threw two Poké Balls as well. "Plusle! Furret!" he shouted.

Rui pointed at the Quilava. "Do I need to say it?" she asked Wes.

Wes nodded. "I get the picture," he replied. "Plusle, Thunder Wave! Furret, Strength!"

"Grumpig, Extrasensory!" ordered Rosso. "Quilava, Flame Wheel!"

Much like the battle against Rosso, Plusle unleashed Thunder Wave upon the Shadow Pokémon. Meanwhile, Quilava landed a Flame Wheel on Plusle, but the attack didn't seem to do much damage. Furret, however, plowed through Grumpig's Extrasensory and landed a solid blow with Strength.

"Alright- Helping Hand and Strength to finish it!" Wes ordered. Meanwhile, he pressed the cuff of his Snag Machine to the white button, while thinking of an Ultra Ball, and sure enough, one formed in his left hand. "And go, Snag Ball!" he added, launching the modified Ultra Ball at Quilava. Before Rosso could react, his Grumpig was no longer conscious, and his Quilava was no longer his.

"Oh, you are kidding me!" he whined. "OK, that does it- go, Muk! Go, Breloom!" he added, throwing two more Poké Balls.

"Plusle! Thunder attack on Muk!" ordered Wes. "Furret, use Hyper Beam on Breloom!"

"Breloom, Dynamic Punch!" ordered Rosso. "Muk, Strength!"

Breloom unleashed one of its fists, its extremely stretchy arm allowing it to throw the punch even from its distance. Furret, however, blasted Breloom back with a forceful beam of pure destructive force. Even Rosso didn't seem surprised that Breloom didn't get back up.

Muk, however, withstood the Thunder attack and landed a direct hit on Plusle with Strength. It seemed to hit a weak point, and Plusle was knocked out by the move.

"Plusle, get back!" Wes exclaimed, withdrawing the Electric-type. He then threw another Poké Ball. "Espeon, Psychic!"

"Espe!" Espeon exclaimed as he appeared. The gem in his forehead gleamed, and a wave of telekinetic energy washed over Muk. This proved to be too much for the Sludge Pokémon, and it too collapsed in a sludgy heap.

Rosso seethed in fury as he withdrew his Muk. "There goes my hopes of becoming an Admin," he grumbled. With one last scathing look at Wes, Rosso ran away. Ordinarily, Wes would've given chase, but he had a feeling Rosso would be of no help to them, voluntarily or otherwise. With that in mind, he and Rui took the elevator nearby. This led back up to the ground floor, and it was but a short walk to the exit from there.

Once outside, Wes dug out his P*DA, for its ringtone had sounded once more. "Huh. OK, didn't know that," he murmured. "Nett just told me my P*DA can also receive digital photos attached to emails. He sent one as a test, look," he added, pressing a button and loading a picture of Megg and Shroomish.

"Aww, that Shroomish is cute," smiled Rui. "And that's pretty cool, I didn't know it could receive photos."

"Nor did I," Wes replied, pocketing his P*DA once more… only to dig it out moments later. "OK, what, now," he grumbled, pulling up yet another email. He read none of it out loud, nor did he relay any information it contained. Instead, his eyes widened in horror, and his face went pale.

"Wes?" Rui said, noticing this immediately. "What's the matter?"

Wes looked at Rui. "…this just came in from Bitt," he murmured. "He's hearing rumors..."

"What kind of rumors?" asked Rui.

Wes gulped. "Some Team Snagem holdouts… apparently they fixed the big Snag Machine."


	29. Chapter 29: Searching High and Eclo

The rumors about the remnants of Team Snagem repairing the big Snag Machine unnerved Wes, and rightly so, but by that point, the sun was starting to set. Wes wanted to head out to Eclo Canyon right away, but Rui talked him into calling it a day, insisting they were no good to anyone if they were totally burned out. Wes relented, unable to deny the truth to her words, and so they set out for the nearest city. This turned out to be Phenac. All the rooms at the Pokémon Center were booked up for the night, but Justy, who had been appointed temporary mayor of Phenac following Evice's arrest, welcomed Wes and Rui to stay the night in the mayor's house.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Wes and Rui rode off to Eclo Canyon. En route, Wes heard his P*DA's ringtone, but didn't dig out the device until they parked near the hideout. "OK… Bitt again," he murmured. "Something about the Snagem holdouts, and a creepy Smeargle and Ursaring."

"Didn't Nett list Smeargle and Ursaring as Shadow Pokémon?" Rui asked. "Ones you haven't Snagged yet?"

"Yeah, that's right," Wes nodded. "Well, let's see what's going on… I blew up that Snag Machine once. I better not have to do it again," he muttered, leading the way inside.

Wes and Rui carefully made their way through the Snagem Hideout. Not as many Cipher Peons jumped out at them as before, but some definitely did, and like before, they all recognized Wes as having Snagged their Pokémon. Wes first led the way to Gonzap's office, only to see a familiar sight awaiting them.

"Wes," Gonzap smirked. "I figured you'd come."

"Gonzap," replied Wes. "What's all this about the big Snag Machine being fixed?"

"Well, if you can believe it, it was Wakin's idea," chuckled Gonzap. "I was trying to get it fixed, but no good. So then Wakin suggests we put out the word it's been fixed anyway, lure you into a trap. I wasn't so eager to do that, but then, I _do_ want that rematch," he added. "I think you'll find me a bit tougher now."

Wes grinned, taking out a pair of Poké Balls. "Then let's do this," he agreed.

Gonzap was right- he _had_ gotten tougher. Every single one of his Pokémon had Hyper Beam at its disposal, and Gonzap wasn't shy about using it. It took Wes every one of his Pokémon to take down Gonzap's team, until finally, Gyarados was felled by Plusle's Thunder attack.

Gonzap sighed as he withdrew Gyarados. "You've grown more powerful, Wes," he said. "But remember this… Team Snagem will rise from the shadows again. Even if you won't be a part of it anymore, remember that, Wes… and good luck," he added with a small smile.

Wes nodded. "Thanks," was all he could think to say to that. He and Gonzap exchanged a slightly awkward handshake, and Wes and Rui left to further explore the Snagem Hideout.

"That was a great battle, Wes," smiled Rui.

"Thanks," Wes smiled back. "I gotta say, I feel a lot better now that I know they didn't really fix the Snag Machine- oh- what's this?" he added, for his P*DA had rang once again. "OK, Nett found six more… and once again, only one of them is news to us," Wes reported. "Apparently there's also a Shadow Shuckle somewhere out there."

They continued on, stopping at a PC so Wes could heal up his team- the PC storage system was very convenient, in that it fully healed any deposited Pokémon. It was a little less convenient than simply using a healing machine, but it worked quite well in a pinch. As they explored, Rui noticed a grey disc half-buried in rubble- it was a D-Disk, according to its label, which made Wes certain it was going to make the UFO in The Under go further down into the chasm. But he couldn't focus on that now- he had the rumors of creepy Smeargle and Ursaring to attend to.

Their searching efforts were soon rewarded- once Wes returned to the room where the remains of the big Snag Machine were being kept, a Snagem Grunt accosted him. "Yo!" he smirked. "If it isn't Wes! Man, you got some nerve showing up here after betraying Team Snagem!"

"Biden," Wes greeted the Grunt, sounding less than enthusiastic.

"Well, this is where it ends," smirked Biden. "I know you're here to wreck the Snag Machine like before. "Well, that ain't happening! GO!" he exclaimed, throwing two Poké Balls, each of them unleashing a Smeargle.

"Neither of them are Shadow Pokémon," reported Rui, eyeing the identical canines.

Wes sighed, throwing two Poké Balls. "Let's get this over with. Hariyama, Earthquake! Plusle, Protect!"

The battle went very quickly. Hariyama's Earthquake knocked out both Smeargle at once, prompting Biden to send out… two more Smeargle. And this time, Rui identified the one on Wes's left as a Shadow Pokémon. To this, Wes ordered a Cross Chop from Hariyama, and a Thunder Wave from Plusle. The Shadow Smeargle was the only one of Biden's Smeargle to land a hit on any of Wes's Pokémon, unleashing an extremely weak Shadow Rush on Plusle for embarrassingly low damage. It took Wes only one Ultra Ball to Snag the Smeargle.

"I couldn't win?!" exclaimed Biden. "Are you serious?"

"Hey, you're the one who came at me with a pack of Smeargle," Wes smirked. "Haven't I always been telling you to get some more powerful Pokémon?

"Oh, shut up!" snapped Biden. "I was gonna knock you out, then paint your loser face with my Smeargle…"

Wes shook his head. "You need a girlfriend," he sighed. "Or a hobby. Or both."

"Yeah, well, now you got _me_ to deal with!" came a voice from the other room.

"Hello, Agrev," Wes replied, rolling his eyes as another Snagem Grunt marched into the room, this one wearing sunglasses despite being indoors. "Good to see you, too."

"Heh, the rumors reached you, huh?" smirked Agrev. "Wakin knew they would. Even if Gonzap's gone all soft on you, we aren't so forgiving! You honestly thought we could fix the big Snag Machine? Hah! This, Wes, is a trap! And you fell for it! Now go!" he added, throwing a pair of Poké Balls.

Agrev proved more capable in battle than Biden, using a Marshtomp and a Shiftry. Furret and Hariyama made short work of them, as well as the Machoke he sent out afterwards. Then, however, Agrev sent out an Ursaring, which Rui quickly identified as a Shadow Pokémon. This prompted some switching on Wes's part, and Plusle and Umbreon were able to trap, incapacitate, and weaken the Hibernator Pokémon, to the point where only four Ultra Balls were required to Snag her.

"Oh, COME ON!" exclaimed Agrev. "Are you serious! Man, you really do know how to work that Snag Machine… alright, I hate to admit it, but you've beaten me thoroughly," he sighed bitterly.

"Damn straight," Wes smirked. With that done, and with Rui by his side, Wes strolled out of the Snagem Hideout, satisfied with what he'd accomplished there.


	30. Chapter 30: Deep Trouble

Wes and Rui rode away from Eclo Canyon, both of them happy to put the Snagem Hideout behind them. It was to The Under Wes was headed- he had the D-Disk now, and he for one intended to finally find out just how deep that chasm ran, and what lay at the bottom.

Once the UFO brought him and Rui across to the side with the disk-reading machine, however, a familiar face greeted them there, right underneath an equally familiar afro. "Fuohohoho!" grinned Miror B. "If it isn't Wes and Rui! Long time no see!"

"Miror B.," grinned Wes. "What's going on?"

"Oh, why, the Deep Colosseum, of course!" sang Miror B. "It's only the most happening spot for tough Trainers to gather in Orre! Every Cipher Admin was issued a D-Disk for the purposes of gettin' down there, and when I handed in my resignation, I held onto mine."

"Wait, wait, back it up," frowned Wes. "What's this about the Deep Colosseum? Are you saying that there's actually a colosseum full of tough trainers at the bottom of that gorge?"

"Fuohohoho, why, of course," grinned Miror B.

"Son of a Barboach," said Wes, sounding floored. "Is _every_ rumor I've heard as a child true? What's next- we find out Mew really _does_ nest under pickup trucks parked by the sea? Gengar _is_ Clefable's shadow? Mist Stones _are_ real?"

"That's pretty amazing," murmured Rui. "Wes, you think you can handle that sort of thing?"

Wes shrugged. "Hard to say," he replied. "I could give it a shot."

"Well, now, actually," Miror B. said, lowering his voice. "It may well be in your best interest to try it, darling, especially if you are still hell-bent on Snagging all the Shadow Pokémon Cipher's ever made. You see, there's this horribly powerful Trainer who won a Shadow Shuckle as a result of winning a Pyrite Colosseum challenge. He goes by the name Agnol, but most folks refer to him as the Deep King, because he's never once lost a challenge in the Deep Colosseum. I've never battled him before myself, but he's supposed to be the best."

"Well, things just got interesting," said Wes. "Appreciate the heads-up, Miror B."

"Oh, why, no problem," grinned the ex-Cipher Admin. "Shall I give your regards to Dakim when next I see him? I've heard he too quit Cipher."

"Heh, yeah, he did," Wes nodded. "He actually showed up at the top of Realgam. Evice had just lost to me, and he looked about ready to kill me. And then Dakim showed up and was all, 'I DON'T THINK SO, VERY FAT MAN!' and he actually picked up the tub of lard and held him up over his head for a few minutes until Sherles was ready to arrest him."

"It was pretty awesome," grinned Rui. "Apparently he's visiting family right now, though."

"Oh, I did hear about that," nodded Miror B. "He's more of a family man than you would think going by first impressions. I remember Ein asking him if he had any Pokémon to donate to be made into Shadow Pokémon, and Dakim said he only had one Pokémon on him he didn't intend to keep. When Ein asked if he could make it into a Shadow Pokémon, Dakim flipped. Oh, darling, he was all, 'NO! IT IS A GIFT FOR MY SON!'."

"What kind of Pokémon was it?" asked Rui.

Miror B. shrugged. "He never said," he replied. "He mentioned that it's a Normal-type, but that's all I got. Well, I'm headed on down," he added, producing a D-Disk from his afro and allowing the machine to scan it. "Hope to see you two down there! Fuohoho!" And with that, he danced his way onto the UFO, which started to slowly sink down, further down into the chasm, until not even the man's afro was visible anymore.

Wes and Rui exchanged looks. "So, we're headed down there, too?" asked Rui.

"Not just yet, replied Wes. "First, let's see if Nett has any information on this Agnol guy."

"Good idea," nodded Rui, and so instead of scanning their D-Disk, Wes led the way to Nett's house.

"Hey! Wes, Rui," Nett greeted them with a grin. "I was actually about to email you, Wes- I saw this weird guy with a huge afro headed down on the UFO."

"That's Miror B.," said Wes. "He's on our side. Former enemy. Actually a pretty nice guy now. Helped out in taking down Cipher at Realgam Tower."

"Oh, cool," grinned Nett. "There's even more, though- I have more information for you guys. Apparently there's this guy, Agnol, known as the Deep King-"

"-and he has the Shadow Shuckle, right?" finished Wes.

"…Yeah," Nett said feebly. "Sorry, I thought I had new information."

"For what it's worth, we only just found out ourselves," Rui said. "Miror B. mentioned him. But Nett, we came here because we thought you might possibly know even more about him- what we told you is more or less all we know."

Nett's expression brightened. "I think I got some useful stuff for you guys, then," he said. "Apparently, Agnol is fond of Pokémon with uncommon type combinations. And he definitely has a Shedinja, so you'll want to be ready to take one of those on. You know the deal with those things, right?"

Wes nodded. "Bug and Ghost-type. Only one hit knocks it out, but its Ability of Wonder Guard means only super effective attacks will hurt it."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Nett nodded back. "Beyond that, he's got a very strange assortment of Pokémon. Apparently his Kingdra in particular is really tough. And if none of your Pokémon know any Dragon moves themselves, you won't have any super effective moves to hit it with."

"That might be a problem," Wes frowned. "But type advantage isn't everything," he added. "I think I could take him."

"And don't sweat using the Snag Machine down there," added Nett. "If anything, it'll only get the audience more excited about the battle. That place… it doesn't exactly draw the most wholesome crowds." He shuddered. "I can't wait until this whole place is done for…"

"What?" said Wes.

"That's another thing I wanted to email you about," replied Nett. "Now that Cipher's stranglehold on this city is gone, there's talk about filling in The Under and moving all the residents to the surface. It's fine," he added in response to Rui's look of concern. "Honestly, a lot of us would love nothing more than to experience the surface world. A lot of us have never set foot outside The Under before."

"But what about the Junk Shop?" worried Rui.

Nett grinned. "That Dakim guy, who used to be in Cipher, he's had an idea about that," he replied. "He and this scientist, they discovered this old, abandoned port town way out west. From what I heard, they were looking to fix it up. The folks from The Under could move there, set up a nice, wholesome port town in stark contrast to the shady atmosphere The Under's always had."

"Well, that's nice," Rui admitted with a small smile.

* * *

"Daaahahahah!" Dakim laughed, as he lugged huge pieces of lumber across the abandoned streets of the port town. "This is going to be great!"

"Yes," agreed the man walking beside Dakim. He had brown hair, and was clad in a lab coat. "Dakim, I must say, I'm very pleased with how you've quit Cipher."

Dakim turns his head to face the man. "You do not tell Lily," he stated. "She and the kids, they must never know the shame that is my past. Especially my son. Little Mikey looks up to me so much." Dakim then paused to cough.

The scientist narrowed his eyes. "That's the fifth time today you've coughed like that," he said. "You sure you're OK?"

"Never better. Daahahahaha-COUGH COUGH" Dakim tried to laugh, but the laugh dissolved into another coughing fit.

The scientist folded his arms. "Dakim Gateon, want to run that by me again?" he asked.

"Alright, so I have felt a little under the weather," conceded Dakim. "I am certain it is nothing major. Come, we must finish work on this place," he added, continuing to haul the lumber. "Think of it- this place will be amazing when it is finished," he added with a grin. "A nice wholesome town… I can be free from any association with Cipher once and for all! And I will build, with my own two hands, a house for me and my family, and they can move out of that little laboratory you run. It will be… It will… Dahahah…" At that point, however, Dakim collapsed. The scientist rushed to his aid, and was horrified to discover just how high of a fever the ex-Cipher Admin had.

"Dammit, Dakim," he sighed, pulling out a cell phone to call for help. "I told you to stop overworking yourself… Don't do this to me, man…"

* * *

"And Murkrow is unable to battle!" declared the referee. "All three of Grons's Pokémon have been defeated, so Wes is the winner and will be moving on to the final round!" This elicited much cheering from the crowd in Deep Colosseum, most of all from Rui, who was shouting to anyone who would listen (and several folks who wouldn't) that that was her boyfriend out there.

Wes grinned, looking around at his surroundings. Deep Colosseum was a very cool place. Deep underground, at the very bottom of the huge chasm that cut through Pyrite Town and The Under. When he and Rui had taken the UFO, they were treated to the sight of a very large steel door that slid open automatically as they approached. The colosseum, they learned, was built on a former quarry, and was sometimes known as the Miner Colosseum. D-Disks were issued very sparingly, and only to the absolute best Trainers. And it showed, too- the three battles Wes had gone through to make it his far, they were no joke. He was quite glad he was allowed to heal his Pokémon between rounds. The interior of the colosseum itself was also a definite sight to see. It had a rather low ceiling, so the crowd merely stood behind metal fences set around the arena, as opposed to in rows of seats. A gigantic exhaust fan slowly rotated above the battlefield. The overall effect was actually pretty cool. Wes felt like something of a big shot just participating in a tournament down in this colosseum.

At last, the final round had come. Wes entered the arena, an eyed the purple-haired, muscle-bound man who stood on the other side. "Is that…" Wes murmured.

"The final round!" announced the referee. "Newcomer Wes will now face off against the strongest Trainer ever to enter our challenges. He is completely undefeated- everybody, give it up for Deep King Agnol!"

The crowd went wild. Agnol grinned and waved his large arms at his fans. "Heheh, welcome to the final round, little man!" he said to Wes. "This is your first time here in Deep Colosseum, yeah?"

"Yeah," Wes nodded. "So _you're_ the famous Agnol."

Agnol grinned. "And _you're_ Wes," he added. "You been Snagging Shadow Pokémon left and right. It seems both our reputations precede us. Tell you what- I got me a Shadow Shuckle. If you can force me to use it, and you end up Snagging it, you keep it, because if you push me to that extreme, you'll have earned it."

"Sounds fair," grinned Wes. "So let's get started."

"I like your attitude, boy!" Agnol exclaimed, throwing two Poké Balls. "Go, Skarmory! Go, Sableye!"

Wes threw two Poké Balls as well. "Go, Plusle! Go, Feraligatr!"

The referee looked back and forth between the two pairs of Pokémon that were sent out. Skarmory was flying low, of course, due to the relatively low ceiling of the colosseum. "Let the battle begin!" he exclaimed.

Agnol made to make the first move. "Skarmory! Drill Peck on the Feraligatr!" he roared. "Sableye! Shadow Ball on the Plusle!"

Wes responded quickly. "Feraligatr, Rain Dance!" he ordered. "Plusle, use Thunder on Skarmory!"

Skarmory dove down towards Feraligatr, ignoring the rain that started falling, but with a cry of "PLAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAA," Plusle unleashed a sizzling Thunder attack. Skarmory screeched in protest as the super effective move coursed through its body. The Drill Peck never reached Feraligatr- Skarmory fell to the ground with a metallic crash, eliciting stunned gasps from a lot of the people in the crowd.

"Skarmory… is unable to… to battle," ruled the equally stunned referee. Wes smirked- clearly this crowd wasn't used to Agnol losing a Pokémon so quickly in the match. The grin faded slightly as Sableye landed a Shadow Ball on Plusle, but returned in full force as Plusle got back up. The attack had dealt some decent damage to her, but Plusle was still able to fight.

"Well, well," Agnol smirked as he withdrew Skarmory. "This may well be a fun battle after all. Knocking out one of Agnol's Pokémon in a single hit- that almost never happens! But the battle is only beginning," he added with a smirk, throwing another Poké Ball. "Go, Kingdra!"

Wes gritted his teeth, and the crowd cheered as Kingdra materialized. Though clearly built more for aquatic environments, Kingdra was able to balance remarkably well on its coiled-up tail. It had a fierce look in its eyes, and in response to the falling rain, it seemed to almost be smirking, as well as a Pokémon with only a snout could be expected to smirk. This was what Wes was the most worried about- Agnol's ace in the hole right here. "Helping Hand and Surf!" Wes called out.

"Let's pick off the Plusle!" boomed Agnol. "Kingdra, Hydro Pump! Sableye, Shadow Ball!"

No sooner had Plusle transferred a glowing bundle of energy to Feraligatr than the high-pressure stream of water blasted the Electric-type backwards. As she skidded across the ground, Sableye landed a Shadow Ball as well.

To nobody's surprise after that assault, the referee spoke up. "Plusle is unable to battle!" he declared.

"Come back now, Plusle!" Wes called, withdrawing the Cheering Pokémon. Feraligatr, however, was still powered up by the Helping Hand, and so he unleashed the Surf. Kingdra took the attack rather well, but Sableye was a whole other swarm of Yanma. The Darkness Pokémon skidded backwards, and while it got back up, it was with a great effort.

"Come on, Wes, you can do this!" Rui cheered encouragingly.

Wes grinned. Rui was right- he could do this! He threw another Poké Ball, with a vague plan of action in mind. "Now!" he exclaimed. "Furret, let's go!"

Agnol gave a small chuckle as Wes's Furret materialized. "Sableye, hit Feraligatr with your Shadow Ball," he said. "Kingdra, another Hydro Pump- this one goes to Furret."

"Feraligatr! Surf!" shouted Wes. "Furret, dodge it!"

First came Kingdra's Hydro Pump. The Water/Dragon-type fired yet another forceful stream of water from its snout, but Furret was able to deftly roll out of the way of the attack.

"Now!" Wes exclaimed. "Furret, Hyper Beam!"

"Furret… FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!" Furret screamed, retaliating with her own most powerful attack- a purple-black beam of pure destructive force, aimed directly at Kingdra. This sent Kingdra flying, and it slammed into a pillar before crashing to the ground. It managed to feebly flop its way back onto the battlefield… and then Feraligatr unleashed Surf. The tidal wave wasn't quite as strong as the previous one, not having a Helping Hand to back it up, but it was still powerful nevertheless. And then, a black orb of energy shot straight through the wave- Sableye had managed to launch Shadow Ball just in time. Feraligatr grunted as the attack made contact, but hadn't taken much damage. Agnol's Pokémon, on the other hand, weren't so lucky.

"Kingdra and Sableye are both unable to battle!" ruled the referee. This ruling was a huge surprise to the crowd- Wes had just taken out half of Agnol's team while only losing one of his own Pokémon."

Agnol chuckled as he withdrew Sableye and Kingdra. "Your Furret is very well-trained," he said to Wes. "That was a powerful Hyper Beam indeed. I'll admit, I'm enjoying myself. But the battle ends here!" he added, throwing two more Poké Balls. "Go, Girafarig! Go, Shedinja!"

Here it was. Wes gritted his teeth at the sight of the Bug/Ghost-type. But it wasn't a problem- Feraligatr could handle it, he knew. Even if Furret would need to recharge after that Hyper Beam, one hit was all they'd need. "Feraligatr, use Bite!" Wes ordered, pointing at Shedinja.

"GATOOOOOR!" bellowed Feraligatr. He took off running, headed straight for Shedinja. The rain had let up, but this hadn't dampened Feraligatr's spirits any. He opened his long, toothy mouth, revealing the sharp teeth that would soon chomp down upon-

"Girafarig! Thunderbolt!" roared Agnol.

Girafarig whinnied and reared up onto its hind legs, then launched a powerful bolt of electricity. Feraligatr tried to continue onward towards Shedinja, but ultimately couldn't cope with the powerful super effective blow. He slumped to the arena floor, and made no further attempt to get back up.

"And Feraligatr is unable to battle!" ruled the referee.

Agnol smirked as Wes withdrew Feraligatr. "A wise decision to strike at Shedinja's weakness," he stated. "But good luck actually landing the blow you need. Now, Shedinja, Silver Wind!"

"Sheeeeedinja!" exclaimed Shedinja. The Shed Pokémon started spinning around like a fan, its odd, unmoving wings blurring like fast-moving fan blades. Then, a silvery dust blew off of Shedinja. Furret cried out loudly as the Bug-type move made contact. What was more, when the attack concluded, Shedinja was suddenly looking sharper and faster, as though it had gotten some sort of major power-up from the attack- which, Wes realized with a jolt, it probably _had_. Silver Wind, he recalled, was one of those moves that could power up the user in all aspects after use.

Wes had to think about this. Brute force wouldn't win him this battle- he had to strategize. "OK, Espeon, you're up!" he exclaimed, hurling a Poké Ball.

"Espeon?" murmured Rui. "But Espeon doesn't have any moves that can hit a Shedinja…"

Agnol smirked. "Slipping, are we?" he said to Wes. "I fail to see what good your Espeon will do here. Girafarig, use Return on Furret! Shedinja, use Silver Wind on Espeon!"

"Espeon! Reflect!" Wes ordered. "Furret, fight back with Strength!"

Espeon's forehead gem gleamed, and a shimmering wall of light went up. The Silver Wind still hit Espeon for decent damage, but clearly not as much as Agnol had been hoping for. Meanwhile, the Reflect meant Furret's Strength held up a lot better against Girafarig's Return than it normally would have done- assuming, of course, Girafarig was 100% completely loyal to Agnol, which it was, judging by the fight it put up. Eventually, the Normal-types backed away from each other, perfectly evenly matched.

"Now!" Wes grinned. "Helping Hand and Hyper Beam!"

"Girafarig, use Return!" roared Agnol. "Shedinja, Shadow Ball!"

Everything seemed to happen at once. Espeon sent some extra energy Furret's way. Pink hearts started to swirl around Girafarig, but the souped-up Hyper Beam blasted it backwards. Meanwhile, Shedinja unleashed a Shadow Ball at Espeon, this one faring much better than the Silver Wind had done. When the dust settled, the referee had some rulings to make.

"Girafarig and Espeon- both are unable to battle!" the referee declared.

Agnol gave a small smirk as he and Wes each withdrew their Psychic-types. "I'll admit it, little man, you're good. Real good. You've pushed me to one hell of an extreme here. But this match isn't over. You still got a good way to go here. Now here's my last Pokémon- go, Shuckle!" roared Agnol, throwing his sixth Poké Ball, unleashing what appeared to be an odd blue shell with pale yellow tendrils oozing out of five of the holes on it. The crowd screamed and cheered as blue sparkles flew around her. Wes's eyes widened- this Shuckle, Agnol's Shadow Pokémon, was a Shiny Pokémon!

"Wes!" Rui called. "Don't forget, it's a Shadow Pokémon!"

"Right!" Wes nodded. His plan falling perfectly into place, he threw another Poké Ball. "Go, Umbreon!" he exclaimed as the Dark-type materialized. "Use Bite on Shedinja!"

"Use Silver Wind!" ordered Agnol. "Shuckle, Bide!"

Shedinja spun like a fan once more, this time unleashing Silver Wind at Furret- Umbreon jumped up at it, and bit into the hovering husk. Shedinja fell to the ground almost immediately after this, its halo clattering to the floor near it.

"Shedinja and Furret are unable to battle!" ruled the referee. Wes did a double take- indeed, the Silver Wind had finished off Furret!

Agnol's smirk became more pronounced as he withdrew Shedinja. "Well, now it's just this one," he said, gesturing to his Shiny Shadow Shuckle. "Snag her if you can."

Wes responded by throwing his sixth Poké Ball. "Go! Hariyama!" he called, as the Fighting-type materialized. "Use Return!"

"Hariiiiyama!" Hariyama bellowed, charging forward, pink hearts swirling all around him as he slammed into Shuckle. This knocked her around quite a bit, but the Bug/Rock-type didn't seem especially bothered. Indeed, she was still focusing hard, looking to withstand as much damage as possible.

"Umbreon! Toxic attack!" Wes called.

"Umbre Umbreon!" bellowed Umbreon, blasting Shuckle with a horribly poisonous blast of purple liquid. This didn't cause any damage, but now Shuckle was badly poisoned. And then, her beady eyes flew open, and she unleashed a powerful beam of energy that blasted Hariyama backwards. The Fighting-type managed to stay standing, however.

"Now's your chance, Wes!" Rui cheered. "Go for it!"

Wes nodded. He pressed the cuff of his Snag Machine to the white button, and the Timer Ball he pictured in his mind appeared in his left hand, fresh from the Snag Machine's hammerspace inventory. "Snag Ball! Get it!" roared Wes, slinging the sphere at the Shiny Shadow Shuckle. Agnol simply closed his eyes and bowed his head at Wes, accepting his imminent defeat. And sure enough, Shuckle's efforts to escape were in vain.

"Shuckle has been Snagged by the opposition!" ruled the referee, as nonchalantly as if he was declaring a Pokémon unable to battle. "All six of Agnol's Pokémon are either unable to battle or now under the ownership of the opponent, so the winner is Wes!" The crowd exploded with cheering, roaring their approval of Wes and his amazing victory. Rui ran up to Wes and kissed him on the spot, and even Agnol came over to shake Wes's hand, accepting his defeat, and acknowledging Wes as the better Trainer. The only thing he asked of Wes was that he take good care of Shuckle, and someday treat Agnol to a rematch. Smiling, Wes agreed to this.

"Wes, that was so awesome!" Rui breathed as Wes checked out his Pokémon on the PC in the Deep Colosseum's lobby. He smirked his satisfaction at seeing the vivid blue shell of his new Shuckle. "You were amazing against that guy! I'll admit I didn't know what you were thinking when you brought out Espeon instead of Umbreon, but I knew you had to have something up your sleeve."

Wes nodded. "I wanted to get a Reflect going," he explained. "Kinda counteract the effect Silver Wind had on Shedinja, give Umbreon a better shot. Him and Feraligatr are the only ones I got that can actually deal damage to a Shedinja, so I basically had only one shot." At that moment, Wes logged off the PC, and dug his ringing P*DA out of his pocket. "What's this… Oh, no," he murmured, staring at the P*DA in disbelief.. "Rui… Dakim's dead," he said. "This is just in from Duking- he was working alongside that researcher on that old port town, but he overworked himself, and a fever he was ignoring got out of hand…" Wes scrolled through his emails- Duking had sent him several emails to convey all of this information to him in spite of the character limit. "Apparently, the researcher is insisting that instead of naming the town after him, as per their original plan, they name it after Dakim. They're using his last name, Gateon. According to Duking, this is a good move- he thinks Gateon Port has a better ring to it than Krane Port."

"Oh, man… that's so sad," Rui sighed. "And after all Dakim did to help us, too…"

"Well, at least we'll always have the memory of Dakim threatening to punch Ein's face in, right?" smiled Wes. Rui couldn't help but giggle- indeed, it was an amusing memory.

"Yeah- or how about how he made Ein crawl out of the room?" she added.

"I like how he forced Ein to apologize and be nice to us," smirked Wes. "And let's not forget those immortal words; "I DON'T THINK SO, VERY FAT MAN!'"

Rui chuckled. "Thanks, Wes," she smiled. "I needed a good laugh."

"Laughter is the best medicine," Wes replied. "So, let's go see if Nett got any more data from that- Oh!" he added, his P*DA ringing again. "Let's see- what… what the?" he murmured, looking more and more bewildered as he continued to read the email. "Rui, remember that athlete guy in Phenac, the one with the Castform?"

"Yeah, what about him?" asked Rui.

"Well, his name's Dash, apparently, and he- wait a second," Wes sighed. "He's an athlete. He runs all the time. And his name is Dash?"

"That's weird, yeah, but what's this about?" Rui prompted Wes.

"Oh- right- well, according to this, Dash is accusing me of attacking him with my Pokémon," said Wes.

"…What?!" Rui exclaimed. "That's not right at all! You would never do that!"

"Let's go and tell him that, then," Wes responded, and so they headed towards the UFO, only instead of Nett's house, now their destination was Phenac City.


	31. Chapter 31: May the Best Wes Win

"Hey, whoa, whoa!" exclaimed the athlete, as he saw Wes and Rui approaching him. Castform hastened to hide behind him. "Look, just back off, pal, huh?" he said in a hostile manner.

"Did you send me that email?" Wes demanded.

"Damn straight I did," frowned Dash. "Why did you attack me?"

"I didn't!" Wes exclaimed. "I want to find out what the hell this is about!"

"Spare me your lies," scoffed Dash. "I won't believe anything you have to say!"

Wes looked, and saw Castform timidly peering out from behind Dash. At the sight of Wes, it gave a tiny, frightened squeak and ducked back behind its Trainer.

"What the…" Wes murmured. "Rui, what… what's going on here?" he asked.

"Oh, you don't believe this, do you?" Dash asked Rui. "You don't really believe he doesn't know anything.

Rui turned to Dash, her hands on her hips. "As a matter of fact, I do," she retorted. "When did this happen?"

"Just half an hour ago," said Dash.

"Well, half an hour ago, Wes was busy winning a colosseum challenge," said Rui. "And I'm far from the only witness. I'm sorry for what happened to your Castform, but don'r you dare blame this on Wes! Come on, Wes," she added, storming away.

Wes turned to follow Rui, but before he did, he retrieved a single pink spray bottle from his Snag Machine inventory, and placed it on the ground near Dash. "A Hyper Potion," he said. "For Castform. I hope you find out who really did this." With that, Wes followed Rui, leaving Dash at a loss for words. How could it not be this guy when he looked exactly like the assailant…?

"That was so screwy," Rui said as she and Wes walked towards the motorcycle. "Why would Dash mistake someone else for you?"

"Maybe it's someone from Cipher or Snagem," Wes suggested. "Someone could be trying to look like me to trash my reputation. Mew knows I've made my share of enemies in this land."

"That could be," nodded Rui. "But that's not exactly comforting…"

Once they arrived near Pyrite Town, Wes's P*DA rang again. "Oh, I can only imagine," Wes muttered as he took out the device and tentatively read through the email, but quickly relaxed. "Oh, OK, good news," he said. "Nett finished analyzing the Shadow Pokémon list on the Data Rom."

"And?" asked Rui.

"Apparently I've got them all except one- a Shadow Togetic," said Wes. "Looks like there's only one more Shadow Pokémon out there- oh, come on," Wes grumbled- in the process of putting away his P*DA, he got yet another email. "It's Bitt… and apparently he caught me on film attacking people with a Shadow Togetic? What? And he's attached a picture- are you kidding me!" Wes exclaimed, looking at his P*DA in shock. "Rui! Do you see this?"

Rui looked- the picture attached was of Wes- or of someone who looked absolutely identical to him, at least. And he was clearly giving commands to an evil-looking Togetic, who was ramming into Dash and Castform.

"Well, if I needed any more proof that you're innocent, this is it," Rui stated. "You don't even have a Togetic, Shadow or otherwise. "What is this guy's problem?"

"Well, whoever he is, now we got another reason to find him," observed Wes. "He seems to be the guy with that Shadow Togetic Nett found out about. "But we got no leads, so- or do we?" he sighed, as his P*DA interrupted him by ringing once more.

"What's this one about?" asked Rui.

"It's Nett," said Wes. "He wants us to watch TV now. Seems urgent."

So they ran back into Phenac City. They ran past Dash, ignoring his shouts and accusations. They ran into the mayor's house, barely acknowledging the surprised shouts of Trudly and Folly, who were hanging out in the otherwise vacant living room, and they approached the TV that was hung on the wall.

"…reports of another Pokémon attack on people!" the anchor was saying. "We have here shocking footage of the harrowing attack sent by one of our viewers. The footage was sent by someone in The Under who declined to reveal his identity." And behind the anchor, footage of Wes commanding a Togetic to attack Dash could be seen. And then, the anchor looked at something off-screen for a moment, before looking back. "This just in!" she said. "We have more shocking footage of a Pokémon attack on people, happening live at the Outskirt Stand! Viewer discretion is advised!"

Wes's mouth fell open- now his doppelganger was siccing Togetic on Willie! And as the anchor had said, this was happening at the Outskirt Stand!

"Wes!" exclaimed Rui. "This is live! Happening right now! Come on- if we hurry, we can catch up to that guy!"

"Right!" Wes agreed, and before Trudly or Folly could say anything, they had already raced out of the house.

Trudly and Folly just looked at each other. "So… why'd we just let them go without a fight?" asked Folly.

"You want to fight that guy again, after he's been getting stronger and thrashing Cipher all over the place?" retorted Trudly.

"…No."

"There you are, then."

Wes's motorcycle moved faster than ever before, and as the rusted, hollowed-out locomotive came into view, so too did a very strange sight. A small news crew was on the scene, and sure enough, Willie was standing before an exact copy of Wes. The anchorwoman did a double take upon spotting Wes and Rui approaching. "This is rookie reporter Ancha, live on the scene!" she said into her microphone. "A shocking new development has emerged! Just after the battle ended, another shady man appeared, and he looks exactly the same as the other man! What's going to happen here?!"

"Lemme give you a hint," Wes said, stepping towards his smirking doppelganger. "I'm gonna wipe out this impostor who's been trashing my reputation left and right!"

The Wes copy chuckled darkly. "The resemblance is uncanny, hey?" He spoke exactly like Wes did. Voice was a perfect match.

"You know, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," said Wes. "But somehow, I don't think that's what you were going for here."

"Yes, well, how about this?" smirked the man, and he suddenly grabbed Wes's trenchcoat, and he spun himself and Wes around once or twice. He then backed away from Wes. "Hey, what the hell was that about?" he demanded, as though Wes was the one who had done this.

"I could ask you the same thing," Wes snapped. "Though I get the feeling I know what this was about," he added, now noticing that Rui was looking back and forth between the two Weses.

"Yeah, I get it- you did this to confuse them, so they'd think I was the impostor!" declared the impostor. "That was pretty cunning, but it's not gonna work."

"Rui," Wes said, turning desperately to his girlfriend. "You know it's me, right?"

"Rui, you know I'm the real Wes, right?" asked the imposter.

Rui whimpered slightly as she looked back and forth. But then, she seemed to calm down somewhat. As she focused on the two of them, she seemed to sense something. Exactly what this something was she couldn't say. All she knew was, with each passing moment, she was becoming more and more certain about this. To Wes's delight, she walked towards the real one and threw her arms around him. Wes hugged her back, not wanting to let go. "How did you know?" he asked her.

"I don't actually know how I knew it," Rui murmured. "I… I sensed something, I guess. I can't explain it. Maybe it's similar to how I can identify Shadow Pokémon by sight? Grandpa always did say he was somewhat gifted in terms of detecting aura… maybe that's what this is?"

The impostor Wes rolled his eyes. "You're making a mistake," he said to Rui. "He's the impostor! The enemy! Gah, I need something to drink…" As he spoke, he pulled a soda bottle out of his trenchcoat and started chugging it.

"AHA!" Rui exclaimed, pointing a finger at the impostor. "If there was any doubt, which there wasn't, now there's definitely none!"

"So you know I'm the real deal?" asked the impostor.

"No, I know you're the fraud!" retorted Rui. "You're drinking Pepseadra! I admire your taste in soda, but I assure you that's the only thing about you I admire- the man I love wouldn't be caught dead drinking Pepseadra himself- he drinks Cacnea Cola! Right, Wes?" she added, turning to face Wes.

Wes did not respond right away, staring at Rui and blushing slightly. "Y… you love me?" Wes finally said.

Rui's eyes widened and she blushed furiously as she realized what she'd let slip. "I… I… yes," she finally said. "I- I love you, Wes." She looked at him, nervously awaiting his reaction.

In response, Wes pulled Rui into another hug. "I love you too, Rui," he responded.

"…So, getting back to the matter at hand," said the impostor, interrupting Wes and Rui's moment. "You are me, and I am you, and we are all together here. I may have been outed as the phony, but one thing is for certain- you are going to battle me!" With that, the impostor Wes threw two Poké Balls, sending out a Gyarados and a Milotic.

"If you insist," smirked Wes, throwing a pair of Poké Balls. "Espeon, Helping Hand! Plusle, Thunder!"

"PLAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Plusle exclaimed as she fired a sizzling lightning bolt, powered up with Espeon's help. Gyarados roared in pain as the attack landed for super effective damage, and the Atrocious Pokémon passed out on the spot.

"Return, Gyarados!" exclaimed, the imposter, already throwing another ball. "Go, Manectric!"

Wes eyed the Electric-type who had just materialized. "Espeon, use Psychic on Manectric!" he ordered. "Plusle, use Thunder on Milotic!" However, as Plusle launched another Thunder, the attack swiftly changed direction in midair! Wes's mouth fell open as the Thunder attack struck Manectric instead, dealing no damage! "What-" he began.

"It seems that the Manectric has the Lightning Rod Ability!" Ancha was saying. "It redirected and nullified the Electric attack, protecting its partner from what would have been a super effective attack!"

Wes gritted his teeth- Lightning Rod, of course. "Alright, Plusle, come back now!" he said, withdrawing the Electric-type. "Espeon, use Protect!" he called out, before throwing another ball. "And Hariyama, use Earthquake!" he added.

"Hariiiiiiiyama!" bellowed the Fighting-type as he stomped the ground hard, shaking up the whole battlefield. Espeon, shielded by Protect, felt nothing. Milotic clearly felt the powerful blow, but remained composed. Manectric, on the other hand, fell to the ground, totally unconscious.

"Manectric, return!" snapped the impostor, as he threw another ball. "Armaldo, Rock Blast! Milotic, Hydro Pump!"

"Espeon, Psychic!" ordered Wes. "Hariyama, Cross Chop!"

Armaldo unleashed a barrage of rocks, but Espeon withstood the assault, and retaliated with a powerful telekinetic blast. Meanwhile, with thunderous footsteps, Hariyama powered through the Hydro Pump, and landed a powerful Cross Chop. This was the last straw for Milotic, who slumped to the ground.

"Gah… OK, go, Houndoom!" snapped the impostor, throwing yet another Poké Ball.

"Wes! You got this!" Rui cheered.

"Damn straight!" Wes grinned. "Espeon, Protect! Hariyama, Earthquake!"

"Houndoom, Reversal!" snapped the impostor. "Armaldo, Slash!"

Wes smirked as Armaldo slumped to the ground from the powerful Earthquake, but this smirk faded as Houndoom managed to stay standing. Moreover, Houndoom's horns started glowing red, and it charged forward, ramming into Hariyama, delivering an extremely powerful blow, which told Wes that Houndoom had nearly reached its limit. Nevertheless, this knocked Hariyama out, which prompted Wes to withdraw him.

"Not so easy now, is it?" smirked the impostor.

"Yeah, well, you only beat one!" Wes retorted, throwing a Poké Ball. "Plusle! One more time!"

"Well, I'm not finished yet!" exclaimed the impostor, throwing one more Poké Ball. "Togetic! Destroy!"

"And there's the Shadow Pokémon," frowned Rui, eyeing the Normal/Flying-type that had appeared warily. "Wes, be careful."

"Oh, I will," smirked the impostor. "Togetic, Shadow Rush! Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

"Plusle, use Thunder Wave on Togetic!" ordered Wes. "Espeon, Psychic!"

"Plaa plaaaaa!" Plusle exclaimed, firing a jolt of electricity which stunned Togetic, holding her in place and preventing the Shadow Rush. Espeon then geared up to use Psychic, but was caught off-guard by Houndoom's Psychic, and passed out.

"Come back now, Espeon!" Wes exclaimed, already throwing another ball. "Furret, Strength attack!"

"Furret fur!" Furret exclaimed. Almost before she had completely materialized from the ball, Furret charged forward, landing a solid blow, which knocked Houndoom clean out.

"I have had enough!" snapped the impostor. "Togetic, Shadow Rush!"

"Go, Snag Ball!" Wes exclaimed, already launching a Timer Ball at the Togetic. The impostor Wes could only look on as the energy hand wrapped around Togetic and pulled her into the sphere, from which she ultimately did not break free.

"Yes!" Rui cheered as Wes's new Togetic was sent to the PC. "Wes, way to go!"

The impostor sighed. "It would take me to do it. Good going," he sighed.

"Yeah, well, let's see who we're really dealing with here," Wes retorted. He stormed over to his defeated doppelganger, and yanked on his hair. It came off easily, as did his face, revealing the helmet of a Cipher Peon underneath.

"Fine, you got me," smirked the Cipher Peon. "The name is Fein. I am a master of disguise! What do you think of my handiwork? Your reputation is totally trashed!"

Wes smirked. "It might've been," he said to Fein. "Except for one thing."

"Oh?" Fein smirked back. "And just what might that be, Wes?"

Wes's smirk grew more pronounced. "Your entire confession went out live on the evening news," he said, gesturing to the camera crew and to Ancha.

"…perpetrator of the attacks wasn't this Trainer at all, but rather an impostor!" Ancha was saying. "A man by the name of Fein who works for the criminal syndicate Cipher!"

Wes turned back to where Fein had been standing, only to see him fleeing off into the distance, whimpering. This got everyone laughing, at least until Rui ran up and hugged Wes. The couple looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and then their lips met, not even caring that their kiss was being broadcast to all of Orre.

* * *

About a week after the events at the Outskirt Stand, Wes and Rui each sent out six Shadow Pokémon, with Wes having given six of them to Rui. They had purified all but 12 Shadow Pokémon now, and it came time for Wes to use the third Time Flute they'd found, the one he obtained at the peak of Mt. Battle.

From Rui's Poké Balls emerged Togetic, Bayleef, Smeargle, Miltank, Delibird, and Vibrava. From Wes's Poké Balls emerged Tyranitar, Metagross, Ursaring, Smeargle, Heracross, and the Shiny Shuckle he'd Snagged from Agnol. This time, Wes let Rui do the honors. She played a beautiful melody on the Time Flute, and Celebi appeared once more. The legendary Grass/Psychic-type flew around the dozen Shadow Pokémon, and their dark auras faded away all at once.

"Well… that's it, then," Rui smiled. "That's every last Shadow Pokémon, purified. It's all over, Wes. We did it."

"Yeah… yeah, we did," Wes smiled back. "So… what do we do now?" he added as he and Rui withdrew their newly purified Pokémon.

Rui shrugged. "Whatever we like, I suppose," she replied. "Normally I would've asked you to get rid of that Snag Machine, but its inventory feature is really helpful. Not to mention, who knows if Cipher will ever try this kind of crap again?"

"Yeah, that's true," Wes nodded. "I've been talking to that friend of Dakim's, that Dr. Krane, and he's interested in studying the Snag Machine. He wants to make sure that everyone is ready should Cipher try and make a comeback, he wants to develop a Snag Machine that only works on Shadow Pokémon. He also wants to develop some kind of headset that can mimic your ability to spot their dark auras," he added to Rui. "So I'm thinking tomorrow we head out to his lab, pay him a visit."

"Works for me," agreed Rui. "What should we do in the meantime?"

Wes smiled at Rui. "Dinner at the Outskirt Stand?" he asked.

Rui smiled back. "I'd love it," she replied. She kissed Wes, then led the way out of the Relic Forest. Wes followed her, smiling all the while. The Orre region was a more peaceful place than it's been in years now, thanks to him and Rui. For once, there was no looming threat of Cipher or Team Snagem, no infiltrating enemy hideouts and constantly worrying about getting incapacitated by the bad guys, no Shadow Pokémon, none of that. Hell, even Dash had approached Wes, profusely apologizing for the false accusations, and Wes accepted this apology, just happy to have the entire matter cleared up. There was always the vague uncertainty that Cipher might rise again, but for now, they could just kick back and enjoy themselves. And in Wes and Rui's case, enjoy each other's company. It was the sort of feeling of freedom Wes felt when he first blew up Team Snagem's hideout, only ten times as strong now- how fitting that he felt that feeling again while riding his motorcycle to the Outskirt Stand. It was a good feeling, and Wes dearly hoped that things in the Orre region remained peaceful enough to keep the feeling going.

THE END


End file.
